Premier
Blaine Higgs says the province needs to focus on researching more
technology for renewable energy before any changes are made. (CBC)
The New Brunswick government is moving toward a "greener and
cleaner economy," but Premier Blaine Higgs says there must also be
economic stability to back it up.
"I think technology will tell us at the time when we can make that happen," Higgs said in an interview with CBC.
"When
we see a change in battery technology and storage capabilities, then
the ability to have renewables becomes real. But right now, we're in the
situation that we don't have that."
On Friday, thousands of New Brunswickers took to the streets to draw government attention to the climate crisis.
The
strike was a part of a global movement called Fridays For Future, which
was started by Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old Swedish activist.
Protesters marched from the Avenir Centre to city hall in Moncton's climate strike. (Nicolas Steinbach/Radio-Canada)
Strikes around the world capped off a week of climate action after the United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York.
Higgs
said the climate strikes around the province puts climate change into
perspective, but the government must abide by a feasible timeline to
make change.
"I think climate change has been something that's
been very evident in the last few years in New Brunswick. We've seen it
over the years as it's getting more dramatic," he said.
"I think what we have to agree on is what is a timeline for this transition, how do we ramp up the research and development?"
But without the proper technology, the elimination of fossil fuels would lead to an unstable economy, Higgs said.
"Today,
no one is talking about running out of oil or fossil fuels. They're
saying, 'When are we going to stop using it?' And that's the focus.
"And
I'm saying, for us, it's not about using our own [oil] while we have it
there, but expanding our research so we can actually move our timelines
forward. But doing it in a way that we don't shut down our economy."
Premier Blaine Higgs discusses the climate strikes and what his party is doing to answer the call to action. 5:07
Higgs said he doesn't think people
should pay a carbon tax but he thinks emitters should pay for research
on renewable energy technology
"The emitters should finance the
actual research and development of the latest technology and we're
pushing toward that, as we must," he said.
NB
governments AND NB Hydro have simply been negligent in terms of energy
conservation and usage, and I'm not talking about "smart meters".
The time to start adopting is now, sitting back and planning should have
been done long ago, and sitting around planning (without action) will
surely leave us behind, once again.
Ian Scott
Reply to @Terry
Tibbs: What would you like to adopt? Spell it out cause this is the
issue, calamity Jane out there but no great plan. NB really just needs
fossil energy off the grid but it does not solve home heating , vehicles
or any kind, boats included which by the way use gas an diesel and
contribute a significant chunk of economy. As lots of very smart people
have said wind and solar do not cut it in total or anywhere near it. How
about buy it all from PQ and NFLD.?
David Raymond Amos
Reply to @Terry Tibbs: Methinks smart meters are 100 million dollar scam N'esy Pas?
Terry Tibbs
Reply to @Ian Scott:
Vehicles are about 2 years out, you can buy them in China, but not here.
Wind and solar will do it, but the trick is storage. We have plenty of
opportunity for uphill trapped water storage but no one to do, or pay
for it. The Saint John river should be among the world's most exploited
waterways, but it's not, it's simply ignored.
No one is even trying, no one. Why is it I can see hundreds of windmills in Maine, but none here?
When they are done fooling in Beldune, and the company walks away from
one of the most polluted sites in Canada, just level it out and fence it
off, and build a solar farm. No danger of weeds and trees EVER growing
there.
Reply to @David Raymond Amos:
Smart meters have their place, but the timing is wrong.
With a smart meter a plugged in vehicle becomes a big grid battery, 1000
plugged in vehicles a bigger grid battery, combined with local wind and
solar the power grid takes on a life of it's own quite independent of
distant sources of electricity.
Marguerite Deschamps
This province will never move forward by continuing to elect dinosaur thinking old-schools like the elusive Higgs boson.
Reply to @Marguerite
Deschamps: Methinks you are jealous of Mr Higgs and his deputy Gauvin
because those clowns can get more laughs than you N'esy Pas?
Lou Bell
Reply to @Marguerite
Deschamps: Lately every time he opens his mouth he embarrasses his
Liberal / SANB predecessors big time ! Gotta be givin' you and Marc (
Al ) fits .
David Raymond Amos@DavidRayAmos
Replying to @DavidRayAmos@alllibertynewsand 49 others How can my doctor bill the system when the mindless lawyer Teddy Baby Flemming who is the latest Minister of Health ONCE AGAIN and his many evil minions won't give me the Health Care Card I am entitled to?
The provincial government has announced it is eliminating the physician billing number system.
"The
physician billing number system no longer works for the province,"
Health Minister Ted Flemming said in a media release Saturday.
"It
is flawed because it restricts the number of physicians practising,
restricts the mobility of physicians and impedes recruitment."
Flemming made the announcement during the New Brunswick Medical Society's annual general meeting in Moncton.
During
the throne speech in November, Premier Blaine Higgs said one of his
major commitments while in government was to eliminate the physician
billing number system.
The billing number system was introduced in 1992 and controls where and how many physicians can practise in the province.
Doctors
are assigned a billing number as a way to maintain an even distribution
of doctors throughout the province, specifically in rural areas.
"After
30 years, we've come to understand that it's a failed experiment,"
said Dr. Serge Melanson, the president of the New Brunswick Medical
Society, in an interview.
"By removing it, we're essentially
streamlining the process such so we can recruit physicians to the
province faster and actually give more flexibility and options to
physicians who are looking to set up practice in the province."
Melanson said he hopes this change will provide New Brunswickers with more access to doctors.
Dr.
Serge Melanson, president of the New Brunswick Medical Society, said he
hopes the elimination of the billing number system will improve access
to health care. (CBC News)
"We're hoping this will increase recruitment which will, in turn, improve access to health care to our patients," he said.
The system is expected to be phased out by mid-December.
The
New Brunswick Medical Society is working with the regional health
authorities and the Department of Health to develop an alternative to
the billing number system that works on rural recruitment and access to
primary care.
"We're empowering the regional health authorities,
Vitalité and Horizon, which already have mandates and abilities to hire
physicians," Melanson said. "We're actually providing them with more
tools to do so in an effective manner."
Ken McGeorge was the CEO of Region 3 when government introduced the current physician billing number system. (Gary Moore/CBC)
The
province's decision to phase out the physician billing number system is
a step in the right direction, says longtime health executive Ken
McGeorge.
McGeorge was CEO of Region 3 when the system was introduced in 1992.
He said it was originally brought in to save the province money.
"All
the provinces and the federal government were really panicked about the
rapid growth of health-care costs going at like three-to-four times
inflation annually," McGeorge said.
He said it was a good idea at the time and it was part of broader health-care reforms that included regionalization.
Bringing
in the system was a way for the government to control how many doctors
were in the province and where they were located.
Supply-side economics
McGeorge says the health-care system is supply-side economics: "If you provide it, it will be used," he said.
Government's
response to that was to control the situation and introduced the
current billing system as a way to reduce the supply to help contain
costs, McGeorge said.
"Everything in health care starts with a physician. They order the tests and they admit patients and they do the surgery."
The system proved to be a challenge for physicians wanting to set up practice in the province.
Health Minister Ted Flemming announced on Saturday that the province will phase out the physician billing number system. (CBC)
"In
any given year, there may be no billing numbers in Fredericton, for
instance, and so they either have to go somewhere else in the province
or go somewhere else in the country."
McGeorge said the system
has been a point of contention for as long as it's been around and
doctors have pushed for change for at least a decade.
"Nothing in health care happens very quickly," McGeorge said.
He
figures the system has stayed in place because the government didn't
know any other way to control program growth, so the simple answer was
to control numbers
McGeorge doesn't know what the new system
will look like but said the onus will be on health authorities to plan
programs, services and establish the number of physicians they need
based on the programs they are going to offer.
He said government's decision to phase out the current system is a step in the right direction.
"Recruitment
of physicians is a very complex thing, but is it enough? It's not at
the end of the day but it's certainly a major start."
Doctors group calls on federal election candidates to put health care back on the agenda
Canadan Medical Association president-elect travels across country to discuss proposed solutions
CBC News ·
Dr.
Ann Collins, president-elect of the Canadian Medical Association, said
some of the key health issues that need to be addressed include seniors
care, access to care and digital health. (Canadian Medical Association)
The president-elect of the Canadian Medical Association was in
Moncton on Friday as part of a cross-country tour to meet with federal
election candidates about getting health care on the election agenda.
Dr.
Ann Collins, who has a family practice in Fredericton, says provinces
and territories are digging themselves deeper in debt trying to keep up
with health-care costs.
And it's only expected to get worse as
the population ages, unless the federal government steps up funding to
address the so-called silver tsunami.
"Like
anything, it will take a commitment," said Collins. "It'll take these
parties the realization that this is … not an in-the-future [problem],
it's here now, it's affecting the health of Canadians."
The
association contends a top-up to the Canada Health Transfer to provide
extra funding to provinces and territories, based on their population
of seniors, could help.
It's
one of several proposals developed by the association, which represents
about 85,000 physicians, residents and medical students across the
country.
It affects all of us. We're all potentially patients.
- Ann Collins, president-elect of Canadian Medical Association
"What
we've heard from Canadians — and we've listened intently to Canadians
over the last year — is that our health-care system is failing them,"
Collins said. "It's an antiquated system, if you will, and not meeting
their needs.
"So we
have put together a policy platform to help put forward proposals to
the … federal election candidates on the issues that matter to our
patients, to Canadians."
The association would also like to see
a seniors care benefit, to help cover additional out-of-pocket expenses
for seniors and their caregivers who currently spend more than $9
billion to care for their loved ones.
"Many
of the caregivers to our seniors are seniors themselves and are
beginning to struggle with what comes along sometimes with aging, so we
need to support them," said Collins.
Other ideas include:
A $1.2 billion primary health-care transition fund to support the medical home model to improve access to primary care.
Support for a pan-Canadian medical licensing system, to expand virtual care and deliver health care to people in remote areas.
Without changes, Canadians face health care cuts and reduced quality of care, said Collins.
"It
affects all of us. We're all potentially patients and so we want to
have … the best system that we can to care for us and for our kids going
forward."
I am on the ballot in Fundy Royal Perhaps she should ask me my opinion about Health Care
Anne Berube
Justin
was supposed to change health care as we know it with larger transfers
and accountability, his mother said so. It did not happen. More and more
health care expenses have become the provinces' responsibilities.
Now, let's concentrate on electing someone else. Justin was not and
still is NOT ready.
Chris Butler
So
universal free for all health care is not financially sustainable after
all ? Who knew ? especially when 90 cents of every dollar is going to
salaries and pensions of those who work in this money pit, thats what
needs to be looked at.
David Lawfor
This is where it would be handy if a traditional Liberal government existed in Canada, or any western nation for that matter.
The new Liberal, new "left", is now strictly a Doomsday mitigation
party, giving no thought to the working or lower classes as these
classes are the ones that must make financial standard of living
sacrifices in order to stop the Armageddon. This includes universal
healthcare.
Paul Bourgoin
Well
good luck to the Canadian Medical Association during the federal
election with the candidates support for restoring health care back on
the populations necessities. Election Promises are directed towards
those who fund the Candidates, not Joe Public who only foots the
overhead. GOOD LUCK!!
Maggie Leard
healthcare
transfers from trudeau have been cut back, as part of equalization that
is not equal to all provinces....trudeau has moved the lack of needed
monies (from tax payers to ottawa) to the provinces. the provinces that
actually have the responsibility of running healthcare....like paul
martin before him, trudeau makes himself look good by sneakily cutting
back the amount of transfers for healthcare from federal government to
provinces..and provinces have no way of raising taxes to cover the
shortfall. we canadians need to blame the level of government (federal)
that is actually responsible for poor healthcare (especially in smaller
provinces)
Anne Berube
Reply to @Maggie Leard: Exactly.
David
Raymond Amos
Methinks CBC does not do a very good job verifying the names of their clients N'esy Pas?
Alex
Forbes
If
people want to put healthcare back on the table (literally) look at
what we eat. Animal product consumption is killing animals and people.
John Haigh
Reply to @Alex Forbes: I've eaten 2 whole animals today and I feel great.
Alex
Forbes
Reply to @John Haigh:
Nothing like making light of a serious situation to show you don't
care. I don't want to pay for your heart attack...
David
Raymond Amos
Reply to @Alex
Forbes: Methinks John Haigh won't be having any heart attack He was led
to the gallows and hanged by executioner Albert Pierrepoint on 10 August
1949 N'esy Pas?
Anne Berube
Reply
to @Alex Forbes: Even the vegans & vegeterians go to hospital,
have diseases, etc. Read on it. They consume buckets of protein powder,
likely from Asia, God knows what it contains, I do not think it is
healthier than some meats. And yes, too much meat is not good for you.
But when you see for instance kale, lettuce, etc giving you food
poisoning, it becomes very difficult to know what to eat and what not to
eat.
Jebidoah
Shylah
Part
of that should surely be an open debate about marijuana legalization?
Canadians were never properly consulted on this decision, which was
hidden in an election platform where people vote for a variety of
reasons. We need a referendum on marijuana legalization where all the
pros and cons are raised. With it being legal for one year, a lot of
the reasons we were told we had to legalize have been proved incorrect.
We should also debate about whether Ottawa has the right to impose
something like marijuana on the provinces. Why shouldn't New Brunswick
be allowed to ban it?
Maggie Leard
Reply to @Jebidoah
Shylah: trudeau trying to be his father again!!! canadians were never
consulted on establishment of 'bilingualism outside of Quebec, never
consulted on why Canada should use metric system when our largest
trading partner (USA) has not even today. we were never consulted on
'war measures act' instigation either....so many slaps against the
people who immigrated and settled canada..establishing canadian
democracy (questionable today)...canadians need a broad discussion on
the regulations and laws brought in by one political party that has
chosen to ignore the real settlers of this country.
David
Raymond Amos
Reply to @Jebidoah
Shylah: Methinks its strange that someone who professes to be so
righteous would post comments with such a name N'esy Pas?
Brian
Tobin
Reply to @Jebidoah Shylah Why shouldn't New Brunswick be allowed to ban it?
Unless you are going to argue cannabis has no industrial purposes,
dangerous and addictive as opium, and show the scientific method used to
prove cannabis has no accepted properties... I'm going to argue it is
because you can't jail a group based on lies or saying something isn't
acceptable based on no scientific, or what would be legally justified,
reason. And I'll use history to back me up on that one.
And because I happen to know it is crimes against humanity, which is
based on the 100 years of lying and jailing of anyone whom even tries to
contest their lies, that is how I know when I look I can switch out the
ending of cannabis prohibition with the ending of slavery or the abuse
of women and that arguement will work the same. And i'm not sure how
much traction that will get ya.
May you never be in a group the government lied about for a hundred years and people still trust the accusers..
Jebidoah
Shylah
Reply to @David
Raymond Amos: I profess no righteousness, I am a sinner like everyone.
That aside, why would my chosen name seem strange?
Jebidoah
Shylah
Reply to @Brian
Tobin: The entire first paragraph is nonsense and none of that has to be
proved. Any purpose it may serve could be served via a non
recreational pill, the same as any other controlled medication. The
rest is just as silly as the stuff said by face paint fetish PM. Just
look into the eyes of a marijuana drug user and see the dangers and
effects.
What Brexit? Why Andrew Scheer seems reluctant to talk about the project he once called 'cool'
1666 Comments after some deletions as per CBC's MO
David Raymond Amos Methinks
this is a hugely comical part of the Circus. Trust that Harper 2.0 and
everybody else knows that Boris and I have been dicing for years
because I sued our Queen when Harper was Scheer's boss Anyone can Google
the following N'esy Pas?
Boris Johnson David Raymond Amos
The comment above got buried quickly so I posted it again in the "Most liked" thread
This was the second"Most liked" thread
Chas Stuart Content disabled Scheer is a naive fool when it comes to foreign affairs why listen to him at all.
David Raymond Amos Content disabled Reply
to @Chas Stuart: Methinks it good for a lot laughs to listen one of the
most important clowns performing at the circus N'esy Pas?
Gorden Feist And y thinks Brexit (an excuse for the UK to leave the EU so billionaires can avoid taxes) is cool.
He's buddies with Kenney (who uses taxpayer dollars to fib to the public via his "war-room")
He's the only federal leader unconcerned about climate.
The warning signs are there. Andy would be a disaster for this country.
The middle class would suffer along with the environment while the
billionaires laugh all the way to climate extinction.
David Raymond Amos Reply
to @Gorden Feist: Methinks this is a hugely comical part of the Circus.
Trust that Harper 2.0 and everybody else knows that Boris and I have
been dicing for years because I sued our Queen when Harper was Scheer's
boss Anyone can Google the following N'esy Pas?
Boris Johnson David Raymond Amos
James Holden Scheer supports the disaster that is Brexit.
He doesn't care about the deleterious effects it will have on their general population.
Brexit is at it's core a tax dodging scheme for the rich, to keep their tax havens that EU legislation will clamp down on.
Harp/Scheer is just fine with that.
David Raymond Amos Reply to @James Holden: Methinks to be fair you should admit that Harp/Scheer doesn't care what you think N'esy Pas?
April Wong Seriously CBC? This is important Canadian news during an election? Trudeau doesn’t answer any questions...please Enough bias
Mo Bennett Reply to @april wong: yes, it is! it is a demo of what yer gonna git, if y'all elect this yahoo.
Bort Smith
Reply to @mo bennett:
You can't elect the PM. That's not how it works.
Bort Smith
Reply to @april wong:
It's like they're not even trying to hide it anymore.
Mo Bennett
Reply to @Bort Smith: you can't elect a PM? but you can elect a MP.
David Raymond Amos Reply to @april wong: Methinks its rather obvious that many of peoplekind strongly disagree with you N'esy Pas?
David Raymond Amos Reply to @mo bennett: YO MO Methinks peoplekind must admire your wisdom N'esy Pas?
Tanner
Moorman Reply to @april wong: You might want to read the article instead of fake outraging at the headline.
April Wong
Reply to @Tanner
Moorman: I did read the article and have been following Brexit quite
closely from reading up in the UK media...it is quite interesting how
loud people get when they don't agree with someones educated opinions
and observations...Trudeau is an embarrassment to us globally yet the
MSM wants to throw someone over the coals for an opinion on Brexit, from
3 years ago, sheesh....
David Raymond Amos
Reply to @april wong: YO Madame Wong What am I chopped liver? Howcome you answer the Tanner dude so promptly?
Kimmy Smith Conservatives hate all global organizations because they have no historical awareness of their importance.
Kimmy Smith
Reply to @Mayna Rose Rose Westcott: All they do is whine about "globalists" and spew nonsense though.
Mo Bennett
Reply to @Kimmy Smith: mostly because they don't know what they are. and can't be bothered to find out.
David Raymond Amos Reply to @mo bennett: YO MO Methinks its obvious that some of peoplekind agree that you made a profound observation N'esy Pas?
David Raymond Amos
Reply to @Kimmy Smith: Where did the lady of two Roses go?
MASSEY JONES We can't blame Andrew Scheer for not wanting to touch the subject with a 10-foot pole.
Mainly, because the press will press the fact that he's now meddling in another nation's problem.
One more factor, could be that in vote-rich 905 Ontario (the Golden
Triangle region), there is a lot of "blue money", from people with roots
to Great Britain in particular and Europe, in general.
So, he's letting Boris Johnson, work his local version of MAGA.
And we're about to find out that Andrew Scheer is not as flashy as
Justin Trudeau, when it comes to marching in public events, such as
parades of every description.
I dare opine that he's even more private by nature, than Stephen Harper.
Right now, we find him in front of crowds, because "it's necessary to be there".
Michele McLean Reply to @MASSEY JONES:
Indeed, he is so not a leader, that I suspect if he becomes PM, it will
really be his wife running the country - did you read that Globe and
Mail piece?
David Raymond AmosReply to @MASSEY JONES: Methinks Harper 2.0 brought it up in the first place when it behoved him to do so N'esy Pas?
MASSEY JONES Reply to @Michele McLean:
I felt that you deserved an answer and it's done with due respect to your post.
You wrote:
"Indeed, he is so not a leader, that I suspect if he becomes PM, it will
really be his wife running the country - did you read that Globe and
Mail piece?"
It piqued my curiosity and I went to the article, which I think you got it from.
Her's what it said"
«Who else but a one per center with essentially free housing could
afford to have a stay-at-home spouse and five children? Not the real
“Canadian everyman of 2019,” who’s likely living in a one-bedroom condo
in downtown Toronto or Vancouver wondering if and when he and his
working spouse can ever afford one child, let alone five. (The average
Canadian family now has 1.56 children and there at last report there
were only 493,000 families in Canada with a single earner and
stay-at-home parent, a third the number in 1976.)»
No mention of the missus.
It DID mention that she was a "stay-at-home" wife, looking after 5 children.
And that's about as far as it will go, Andrew Scheer is not some kind of newbie.
At 40, he's been in politics since 2004, when he ran in a Saskatchewan
riding and defeated a high profile NDP candidate. Then, he served as
House Speaker, elected by acclamation, before surviving the gruelling
leadership race, which took more than a dozen ballots and you might have
followed as I did, barely beating Maxime Bernier at the end.
Personally, I don't vote for the party, but for the man.
And, in our riding, the man who, one day, even gave his shirt away to
someone who needed it, just passed away and I now have to assess the new
guy.
MASSEY JONES
Reply to @MASSEY JONES:
Following a reply to @Michele McLean for my post, I should have written:
"No mention of the missus dabbling in Canadian politics".
More accurate.
David Raymond Amos
Reply to @MASSEY JONES: HMMM
Myles Grant It
is now three years since the Brexit vote....Many young Brits, Who tend
to support the EU, can now vote. Many older people, who supported Brexit
3 years ago, have since died. So if the Brexit vote were held today,
The result would probably be completely different. And as it is the
young people who will have to live their whole life with the results of
the Brexit vote, then they should have a chance to have their opinion
heard. No wonder Scheer is backing away from his earlier support of
this disastrous brexit vote.
David Raymond Amos Reply to @Myles Grant: Yea Right
Rona Vain cons skip over the fact Scheer has never talked to any world leader
the man is 100% untested. I can not see him going toe to toe with Trump
and any world leader we do trade with and coming out ahead for Canada
David Raymond Amos Reply
to @Rona Vain: Methinks the liberals want to ignore the fact that I
sued the Queen in 2015 when Harper was the boss and Scheer was the
Speaker even though your leader Mr Prime Minister Trudeau The Younger is
mentioned within the statement of claim in Federal Court (File no.
T-1557-15 statement no. 83 to be exact) N'esy Pas?
Brad Arvisais This
is a tough and cruel world, I think we're all stronger together. I
don't quite understand this go it alone mentality that some
conservatives are in love with.
David Raymond Amos Reply
to @Brad Arvisais: Methinks at least the conservative love the circus
just like everybody else does. In a dog eat dog world we should be
grateful that the clowns can put on quite a comical tragedy even if it
at the expense of our rights and interests N'esy Pas?
Rona Vain what were those con rules to post again
1) attack Trudeau all the time even if not in the story
2) attack any Liberals mentioned in the story
3) attack the messenger if it shows Scheer in a bad light
4) Never defend Scheer just attack everyone all the time to deflect
5) post under as many names as you can and say the same thing to give the illusion of support
6) repeat as many times as you can
David Raymond Amos Reply
to @Rona Vain: My name is for real and I am running for public office
for the 7th time against all the political parties. I Googled your name
and came up with nobody. Go Figure
Mo Bennett wasn't there a batman foil called two-face? maybe he was Andy's childhood hero.
David Raymond Amos
Reply to @mo bennett: YO MO Methinks you lost some fans over that supposition N'esy Pas?
Eileen Kinley Scheer's response when confronted with his own poor judgement (while refusing to acknowledge it) Um, uh, um, ah....
Does Scheer support the Brexiteers' misinformation campaign during the referendum?
Oh, and he's cherry picking the China quote as the CPC did in 2015. Here is the full context
You know, there’s a level of admiration I actually have for China
because their basic dictatorship is allowing them to actually turn their
economy around on a dime and say ‘we need to go green fastest…we need
to start investing in solar.’ I mean there is a flexibility that I know
Stephen Harper must dream about of having a dictatorship that he can do
everything he wanted that I find quite interesting.
But if I were to reach out and say which … which kind of administration I
most admire, I think there’s something to be said right here in Canada
for the way our territories are run. Nunavut, Northwest Territories, and
the Yukon are done without political parties around consensus. And are
much more like a municipal government. And I think there’s a lot to be
said for people pulling together to try and solve issues rather than to
score points off of each other. And I think we need a little more of
that.
... but Sun News can now report that I prefer China.
David Raymond Amos Reply to @Eileen Kinley: Never mind Sun News Do you recall the CBC article on the topic 6 years ago?
Justin Trudeau's 'foolish' China remarks spark anger
'It seems to be that he's not well-informed,' Asian-Canadian says of Liberal leader
CBC News · Posted: Nov 09, 2013 7:16 PM ET
What Brexit? Why Andrew Scheer seems reluctant to talk about the project he once called 'cool'
Once Canada’s keenest Brexiteer, Scheer now avoids the topic
Federal
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer was once Canada's most prominent fan
of Brexit. These days, he seems reluctant to discuss the project. (Frank Gunn/Canadian Press)
Andrew Scheer once thought it wise to throw his wholehearted
support behind the project to take the United Kingdom out of the
European Union. But the Conservative Leader who once called Brexit
"cool" may be regretting his choice of words now.
It's safe to
say Brexit hasn't gone as planned. The project has devolved into an
all-consuming constitutional crisis in the U.K. — polarizing the nation,
endangering its economy and holding it up to worldwide scorn.
The
damage sustained by Brand Britain has cut deep. The referendum that was
supposed to cleanly separate the U.K. from the EU now risks causing the
break-up of the United Kingdom itself and undoing a fragile peace in
Ireland.
They're not exaggerating the potential for violence in the Brexit debate. One anti-Brexit MP, Jo Cox, was murdered by a right-wing extremist days before the EU referendum in 2016.
The toxic imbroglio of the current Brexit debate appears to be distant from the "new, confident future" Scheer predicted inan article he wrote for the National Post in the days before the referendum.
Less than a year ago, AndrewScheer was stillpublicly backing Brexit. He even went out of his way to flag his enthusiasm for the project on social media.
These days, Scheer seems reluctant to touch the topic. But the
fact that he stood almost alone among prominent Canadian federal
politicians in his early and enthusiastic embrace of Brexit means he
still faces questions about it on the federal election campaign trail
from time to time.
To his credit, Scheer has not hidden from
reporters' questions during this campaign. He has made himself more
available to the media than Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau, whose tightly
controlled campaign appearances and tightly scripted answers have
frustrated reporters trying to cover him.
But
Scheer tends to answer Brexit questions with anodyne statements about
respecting the will of U.K. voters. Asked about his early support of
Brexit during a media event in Thorold, Ont., on Sept. 24, Scheer
quickly pivoted to attacking Trudeau's approach to foreign policy.
"Well,
I will always support the ability for people to have their expressions
on the democratic process within their country and will always support
the country's ability to have control and autonomy over various various
levels of policy," he said. "The British people had their say. It's up
to British lawmakers now to navigate through that.
"If we want
to look at foreign affairs positions, though, I continue to ask Justin
Trudeau exactly what is it about China's basic dictatorship that he
admires so much. What was he thinking during his trip to India? Why did
he put out that eulogy for Fidel Castro?"
Conservative
Leader Andrew Scheer says Canadians would get stronger international
representation with him as prime minister. He spoke to reporters on the
campaign trail in Thorold, Ont. 0:58
Two days later, in Montreal, Scheer gave roughly the same answer to a similar question.
"I've
always supported the rights of nations to be able to chart their own
course and have autonomy over their own systems," he said.
"I
always support the rights of nations," Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer
said when asked about his position on Brexit in Montreal. 0:56
Hindsight is 20-20, of course. Still, that National Post piece
from June 2016 includes a few passages that point to the problems
politicians can make for themselves when they dive into another nation's
domestic politics.
This one, for example, hasn't aged well:
"The Remain side tells Britons that a vote for exiting the EU is akin to
choosing economic and political uncertainty ... It's a profoundly
negative and simplistic vision that just happens to be wrong."
Foreign
affairs is always a minefield for the unwary politician. A government
led by NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh probably could expect to spend its first
13 months in office dealing with a United States still led by President
Donald Trump — and might bitterly regret Singh's decision to sayhe hopes Trump "gets impeached."
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh joked that he hopes Donald Trump "gets impeached." 1:08
The
Trudeau government might argue that the over-the-top reaction from the
Saudis was impossible to predict, that the same issue had been raised
many times by both Trudeau and Harper governments,and that it was a matter of principle anyway.
But
the Trudeau government was still blindsided — a reminder that when
leaders' opinions venture offshore, they're swimming in deep waters.
If
Scheer is elected, of course, he might find himself dealing with
Britain's pro-Brexit Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who might appreciate
the stance Scheer once took.
Or he might find himself dealing
with a very different government — one that would take a dim view of a
foreign leader who once cheered from the sidelines while Britain's
domestic rivals helped to plunge the country into crisis.
People
make mistakes. Some politicians have turned past errors in judgment
into advantages by addressing them head-on and convincing voters that
they've learned from them. Maybe Scheer the Brexiteer has learned
something and is simply calculating that the heat of an election
campaign is not the best time for mea culpas.
It
remains to be seen whether Scheer's embrace of Brexit matters to
Canadian voters. But Canada's election day comes just 10 days before the
deadline for Britain to finally leave the European Union.
So Scheer
knows he'll have to fight this campaign against a backdrop of intense
public interest in a political project he endorsed wholeheartedly —
before it became an infamous debacle.
Evan
Dyer has been a journalist with CBC for 18 years, after an early career
as a freelancer in Argentina. He works in the Parliamentary Bureau and
can be reached at evan.dyer@cbc.ca
Vehicles are about 2 years out, you can buy them in China, but not here.
Wind and solar will do it, but the trick is storage. We have plenty of opportunity for uphill trapped water storage but no one to do, or pay for it. The Saint John river should be among the world's most exploited waterways, but it's not, it's simply ignored.
No one is even trying, no one. Why is it I can see hundreds of windmills in Maine, but none here?
When they are done fooling in Beldune, and the company walks away from one of the most polluted sites in Canada, just level it out and fence it off, and build a solar farm. No danger of weeds and trees EVER growing there.
https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1125190_renault-city-k-ze-goes-on-sale-in-china-for-8-700
http://theconversation.com/how-pushing-water-uphill-can-solve-our-renewable-energy-issues-28196
Smart meters have their place, but the timing is wrong.
With a smart meter a plugged in vehicle becomes a big grid battery, 1000 plugged in vehicles a bigger grid battery, combined with local wind and solar the power grid takes on a life of it's own quite independent of distant sources of electricity.