Elections
Do you believe human activity is contributing to climate change? If so, what should we do about it? If not, why not?
Responses to the question: "Do you believe human activity is contributing to climate change? If so, what should we do about it? If not, why not?"
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16 Candidate Responses (top)
| Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Brief Response | Full Response |
| Anthony Giles | Yes | Yes, I believe that human action is behind global warming. I don't feel that the government does a very good job of regulating the environment. I am more encouraged when I see individuals in my community choosing to be more "green". I also like that people seem to be buying more hybrid cars. This might be more of a reaction to the high price of oil than anything else. It is still good, though. |
| Dave Braden | Yes | Yes I would suggest that the solution would be to ensure through taxes and subsidies, that goods and services that don't contribute to global warming eg. electric cars powered by renewables) are cheaper than those that do. The market will look after the rest. |
| Jamile Ghaddar | Yes | Of course, human activity is contributing to climate change. The MLPC thinks all governments have a duty to protect the natural environment and make sure measures are taken so that it can flourish in the future as well. We have ample means at our disposal to make sure this is done but today governments do not recognize this duty, not even in words. The manner in which Canada played around with the Kyoto agreement makes a mockery of the very notion of social responsibility towards the environment.
The MLPC actively joins all those who are taking stands on environmental issues. At the same time, it seeks to make a contribution which it thinks is decisive which is to create the conditions so that Canadians are empowered to make their demands on these issues effective. Otherwise we are condemned in perpetuity to asking the gods of plague to save us from the plague. In other words, the most pressing issue when it comes to the environment, like everything else, is Who Decides? If Canadians were empowered, they would enact laws to protect the natural environment. Science and technology should be put in the service of both the natural and social environment. If the self-serving aims of the monopolies to make maximum profit off both society and the environment were not behind all decisions taken, nature could be made to serve the needs of society while it is protected and made to flourish in the future at the same time. A modern society such as Canada's with one quarter of the planet's fresh water can provide safe drinking water for all Canadians. Problems such as lack of safe water, pollution and clear-cutting can be solved if the profit motive is not the deciding factor. The same applies to all conservation issues, problems of a safe food supply, genetic engineering, etc. The fact remains that the plight of the environment and the concerns of Canadians are completely ignored by the so-called major political parties and the monopoly media. They pay lip service to concerns of collectives such as the farmers or fishers, the First Nations, environmental activists or residents in certain areas, to the extent they are considered significant as a vote bank. The system of party government will never put the claims of the environment on society at centre stage because its sole aim is to serve the "needs" of the rich. We think that this is the crucial thing that those concerned with the environment have to take a stand on if they are to build a bright future for the future generations. |
| Nancy MacBain | Yes | Yes, without a doubt. Tackling climate change is one of the seven major priorities outlined in the NDP platform.
We'll address climate change by: * Adopting the Climate Change Accountability Act, which reintroduces hard targets for emissions reductions. * Putting a price on carbon trough a cap and trade system. * Reinvesting revenue raised through the auctioning of carbon credits in the new green economy. * Cut the subsidies to non-renewable energy sources land reallocate them to encourage cleaner energy production. Since the NDP puts people first, we'll also establish effective programs to help workers and communities end their dependence on polluting industries and transition to the new green economy. We'll also help communities deal with the impact of global warming and live up to international obligations to help developing nationals adapt to climate change. These ideas are outlined in more detail here: http://www.ndp.ca/platform/tackle-climate-change |
| Peter Ormond | Yes | Yes, we believe the sound science that human activity is contributing to climate change and global warming is a result of human induced climate change. We have the opportunity to capitalize on the single biggest business opportunity of our time - the shift to a low carbon economy. Countries that mobilize resources to develop and commercialize low-carbon technologies will survive the price shocks of fossil fuel volatility and emerge with thriving economies.
All of these climate change solutions would improve your life. That's why the media and conventional party leaders don't want Elizabeth May in the leadership debate... Imagine how these solutions would benefit your life: mass transit systems, reduced energy consumption, less driving, thriving local economies, locally grown produce, community gardens, local jobs, locally owned businesses, cleaner air and water. |
| Hamilton Centre | ||
| Candidate | Brief Response | Full Response |
| Lisa Nussey | Yes | Of course, human activity is contributing to climate change. The MLPC thinks all governments have a duty to protect the natural environment and make sure measures are taken so that it can flourish in the future as well. We have ample means at our disposal to make sure this is done but today governments do not recognize this duty, not even in words. The manner in which Canada played around with the Kyoto agreement makes a mockery of the very notion of social responsibility towards the environment.
The MLPC actively joins all those who are taking stands on environmental issues. At the same time, it seeks to make a contribution which it thinks is decisive which is to create the conditions so that Canadians are empowered to make their demands on these issues effective. Otherwise we are condemned in perpetuity to asking the gods of plague to save us from the plague. In other words, the most pressing issue when it comes to the environment, like everything else, is Who Decides? If Canadians were empowered, they would enact laws to protect the natural environment. Science and technology should be put in the service of both the natural and social environment. If the self-serving aims of the monopolies to make maximum profit off both society and the environment were not behind all decisions taken, nature could be made to serve the needs of society while it is protected and made to flourish in the future at the same time. A modern society such as Canada's with one quarter of the planet's fresh water can provide safe drinking water for all Canadians. Problems such as lack of safe water, pollution and clear-cutting can be solved if the profit motive is not the deciding factor. The same applies to all conservation issues, problems of a safe food supply, genetic engineering, etc. The fact remains that the plight of the environment and the concerns of Canadians are completely ignored by the so-called major political parties and the monopoly media. They pay lip service to concerns of collectives such as the farmers or fishers, the First Nations, environmental activists or residents in certain areas, to the extent they are considered significant as a vote bank. The system of party government will never put the claims of the environment on society at centre stage because its sole aim is to serve the "needs" of the rich. We think that this is the crucial thing that those concerned with the environment have to take a stand on if they are to build a bright future for the future generations. |
| Michael James Baldasaro | No | No. Volcanoes and manure alone contribute to global warming more than we can ever hope to effect. May I suggest watching "The Great Global Warming Swindle" @ http://www.garagetv.be/video-galerij/blancostemrecht/The_Great_Global_Warming_Swindle_Documentary_Film.aspx |
| Hamilton East-Stoney Creek | ||
| Candidate | Brief Response | Full Response |
| Bob Green Innes | Maybe | Human activity is contributing to a plethora of environmental problems, many of which have obvious solutions which are being ignored in the furor over so-called Climate Change, which is less arguable than Global Warming. No doubt the climate will change as it always has, but why are we delaying action on no-brainer problems?
If larger fish are depleted and the ocean bottom scoured of life giving organisms, is it not obvious what needs to be done? If the oceans are developing dead zones due to eutrophication caused by fertilizer runoff, is it not obvious what needs to be done? If Amazonian trees are all cut, will a desert form like the Sahara? Should Canadians object when we are happily clear cutting? All these obvious questions have gone off the table thanks to the globalist-green CO2 agenda. The renaming of life-essential CO2 into a pollutant has clouded common sense, and we take sharp exception to the policies set out by the Green Party. We believe that most (but not all) carbon capture concepts are doomed to futility - few people have any idea of the sheer magnitude involved. Our depleted oil well recovery industry had early proposals to use CO2 to enhance practical oil recovery, before the Conservatives' Flaherty killed the entire industry, all by his Keynesian self. In the excitement over ocean acidification, now blamed exclusively on CO2, we seem to have forgotten that half a century ago, we identified sulphur as the main cause of acid rain. Coal burning is a primary source of sulphur and brand-new coal power plants are going into service weekly, even as we are rapidly depleting low-sulphur coal. Ocean research money is being plowed into the CO2 side and forgetting the SO2 side. Why? Al Gore found a way to circumvent democracy, get rich , tax the world for carbon use and put the common man in penury, which is the real driver of this globalist agenda. The Canadian Action Party is more concerned that any taxes levied, be they on pollution or not, be based, not on international tribunals we do not vote for, but on sovereign, made-in-Canada decisions, subject at all times to the will of the people. |
| David Hart Dyke | Yes | This isn't really a matter for "belief" any more. The science is in, and the only thing remaining is to decide whether we act to avoid doing long-term damage to the biosphere. |
| Gord Hill | Yes | Yes, We spent the last 100 years plus since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution creating environmental, and safety regulations for our Industrial sector and its workers. We then allow it all to be moved outside of Canada so that we can buy products at a lesser price from countries that do not provide the same environmental, safety, and working standards thinking that the effects of going through this same revolution will not blow our way and not only do the winds come from the west but we will not in 20 years have the skills to redo what has been undone. We must uphold regulations and not allow any goods that do not meet the standards that are already in place here to be brought in from elsewhere. A World CSA, ISO, ASTM standard should govern the safety and environmental means of production of goods and unless the exporting country's goods hold that standard they will not be accepted by any other country. We could state what this was and set the bar now. There has been a regulation that lead could not be used as a stabilizer for plastics for decades but not many plastics are made here anymore, yet now we fear them coming from elsewhere as lead is less costly and the exporters have yet to catch up. |
| Greg Pattinson | Maybe | With the huge amount of natural areas in Canada the environment is or at least should be a major concern for all Canadians. With all of the conflicting information circulating it is hard for even the best intentioned Canadians to find accurate information. All information on any subject must be looked at sceptically. The best course of action the government can take on the environmental issue is to ensure that people are not imposing costs on other individuals by polluting and destroying the natural environment. |
| Wayne Marston | Yes | We in the NDP will leave climate change denying to the core supporters of the Conservative Party. Tackling climate change is perhaps the most important issue facing the world today. It is fair to say that in the House of Commons the NDP has long taken the lead on this file.
Here's what an NDP government will do. * We will re-introduce legislation to ensure that Canada meets the long-term target of reducing our greenhouse gas emissions to a level 80 per cent below that of 1990 by the year 2050, and will establish interim targets for the period 2015-2045; * We will put a price on carbon through a cap-and-trade system, which will establish hard emissions limits for Canada's biggest polluters to ensure companies pay their environmental bills and to create an incentive for emissions reductions; * We will work closely with the Obama administration in Washington to ensure a coordinated response to climate change, and we will seek at every opportunity to advance an integrated continental cap-and-trade system that ensures a level economic playing field for North American businesses; * We will establish effective programs to help Canadian communities deal with the unfolding impacts of a warming planet, as well as live up to our international obligations to assist developing countries in mitigating and adapting to climate change. |
| Wendell Fields | Yes | Of course, human activity is contributing to climate change. The MLPC thinks all governments have a duty to protect the natural environment and make sure measures are taken so that it can flourish in the future as well. We have ample means at our disposal to make sure this is done but today governments do not recognize this duty, not even in words. The manner in which Canada played around with the Kyoto agreement makes a mockery of the very notion of social responsibility towards the environment.
The MLPC actively joins all those who are taking stands on environmental issues. At the same time, it seeks to make a contribution which it thinks is decisive which is to create the conditions so that Canadians are empowered to make their demands on these issues effective. Otherwise we are condemned in perpetuity to asking the gods of plague to save us from the plague. In other words, the most pressing issue when it comes to the environment, like everything else, is Who Decides? If Canadians were empowered, they would enact laws to protect the natural environment. Science and technology should be put in the service of both the natural and social environment. If the self-serving aims of the monopolies to make maximum profit off both society and the environment were not behind all decisions taken, nature could be made to serve the needs of society while it is protected and made to flourish in the future at the same time. A modern society such as Canada's with one quarter of the planet's fresh water can provide safe drinking water for all Canadians. Problems such as lack of safe water, pollution and clear-cutting can be solved if the profit motive is not the deciding factor. The same applies to all conservation issues, problems of a safe food supply, genetic engineering, etc. The fact remains that the plight of the environment and the concerns of Canadians are completely ignored by the so-called major political parties and the monopoly media. They pay lip service to concerns of collectives such as the farmers or fishers, the First Nations, environmental activists or residents in certain areas, to the extent they are considered significant as a vote bank. The system of party government will never put the claims of the environment on society at centre stage because its sole aim is to serve the "needs" of the rich. We think that this is the crucial thing that those concerned with the environment have to take a stand on if they are to build a bright future for the future generations. |
| Hamilton Mountain | ||
| Candidate | Brief Response | Full Response |
| Marie Bountrogianni | Yes | Yes, I am absolutely convinced by the scientific evidence to the effect that global warming is real, and caused in significant part by human activity. Natural fluctuations in the planetary temperature are one factor in the change. But we cannot deny the role of pollution from our factories, cars, and farming in the increase.
The Liberal Party has always been committed to the Kyoto Protocol. The protocol is an international law under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Developed in December 1997 in Kyoto, Japan, and in force since February 2005, the Protocol commits its signatory-governments to significant reductions in the materials that cause global warming. I am proud that the Kyoto Protocol was negotiated in significant part by the previous federal Liberal government. Unfortunately, the Harper Conservatives have abandoned the Kyoto Protocol and declared that we are not bound to any degree by our solemn commitments under the agreement. The results have been variously negative: - Canada has lost prestige internationally, and within the United Nations specifically. - We have missed out on developing the more robust green technology sector that Kyoto compliance would help bring about - green technology being consistently identified by economists as a key sector for national job creation. - The historic Canadian commitment to international law has been eroded it, and with it the vital project of international law itself. - Our pollution rates continue to climb, and global warming with it. - The severe implications for human health in our high pollution rates are only now being figured out. With all of this in mind, it is essential that Canada re-commit to lowering our greenhouse gas emissions, and to fulfilling our legal obligations under the Kyoto Protocol. |
| Stephen E. Brotherston | Yes | Over 6 billion people impact on absolutely everything.
Canada can’t change the world but we should be moving towards cleaner, more sustainable sources of energy and reducing our own energy demands. It is in our own best interests. |
| Niagara West-Glanbrook | ||
| Candidate | Brief Response | Full Response |
| Stephen Bieda | Yes | Over 110 years ago, we had electric rail in the NWG riding and today we don't even have a single electric vehicle charging station installed to accommodate the wave of EVs coming to Canada by year end. In the US, tens of thousands of stations are already installed.
Here in Canada, the climate change denying Conservative Party already has us years behind on electrification - the future of responsible transportation, the future of green collar jobs and the future of economic development. Yes, the peer reviewed science is quite clear that climate change is an anthropocentric issue and only we humans that stand up for the environment are going to put and end to it. |
Response Summary (top)
| Brief Response | Count | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 13 | 81.2% |
| No | 1 | 6.2% |
| Maybe | 2 | 12.5% |
15 Candidates Have Not Responded (top)
| Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale | ||
|---|---|---|
| David Sweet | ||
| Hamilton Centre | ||
| Annie Tennier | ||
| David Christopherson | ||
| James W. Byron | ||
| Hamilton East-Stoney Creek | ||
| Bob Mann | ||
| Brad Clark | ||
| Michelle Stockwell | ||
| Hamilton Mountain | ||
| Chris Charlton | ||
| Henryk Adamiec | ||
| Jim Enos | ||
| Terry Anderson | ||
| Niagara West-Glanbrook | ||
| Bryan Jongbloed | ||
| David Heatley | ||
| Dean Allison | ||
| Sid Frere | ||
