Stéphane Dion stressed the need for ecofriendly politics (Photo: Grant Oyston)
While Liberal MP Stéphane Dion may be better known as the former leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, he offered some insight into his prior role as environment minister at a lecture held at Carleton Oct. 27.
Dion’s lecture, which took place in the Tory Building, was the first event of the year organized by the Carleton Public Affairs Society (CPAS).
Dion spoke of Canada’s current environmental status and his own tenure as environment minister under Paul Martin’s government.
The majority of Dion’s speech referenced and expanded upon the environmental policies he proposed as a former minister. He stressed the importance of strong eco-friendly politics. His vision was to safeguard Canada’s environment by revolutionizing our economy and create a “sustainable economic structure.”
He proposed this change on the grounds that the world is on the eve of a new industrial revolution, one that is not based on new machinery or communication technology, but one that is focused on environmentally sustainable technologies and products. He said his goal was to have formally costly environmental policies work towards our wallets, and not against.
Not all students attending Dion’s lecture were convinced that Canada should spend more on preserving our environment. First-year criminology student Jeremy Carr said he thinks “the government needs to focus more on economic recovery and less so on changing our economic structure, especially during a recession.”
But Dion argued that by making this shift towards a sustainable market structure, based on a global eco-technological competitiveness, “nations that reconcile their environment and their economy will enjoy an insurmountable economic advantage.”
Dion said this is easier said than done. Canadian politics must change first before our nation can become a leader in environmental sustainability, Dion said. He criticised the lack of power that a Minister of Environment actually has concerning shaping, and even putting forth green policies.
For change to happen, he said, “The finance minister must be green, [and] must have a budget that is green” while also “working closely with the Public affairs Minister.”
He also said the Canadian population “needs to see the link between their daily lives [working lives] and sustainability.”
He proposed that by creating greener businesses, people would be more willing to vote for a party with a sensible and well-developed green platform.
“Change will not come from goodwill alone,” he said, insisting that the government must “put a price on pollution.”