Archive for the ‘Liberal Party of Canada’ Category
Ignatieff’s ‘Clean Energy’ Proposal Bad Politics and Bad Policy
I am a former federal Liberal Riding President, and have largely distanced myself on matters of federal politics since leaving that position out of respect to those I worked with, but this I felt required comment. I hope it will not require much more action that writing a letter to the Leader of the Liberal Party to correct his facts.
Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff’s speech to the Vancouver Board of Trade demonstrated a staggering ignorance on the ‘clean energy’ file. His speech today demonstrated a total lack of understanding of this division of power. What’s more, he incorrectly accused Canada of not being a green energy leader. We are. Hydroelectricity represents 88% of the world’s installed renewable energy source. Canada is second only to China in the production of hydroelectric power, and is forth in the world for use of hydroelectricity as a percentage of supply.
The majority of Canada’s power production (just under 60%) comes from hydroelectricity. We’re three times greener than Denmark – but more importantly because of energy use, considerably more than that megawatt to megawatt.
Four provinces, and one territory have 75% or more of their power supplied by hydroelectricity. They are Newfoundland (not including Labrador) (73%) and Labrador(100%), Yukon (89%), British Columbia (90%), Manitoba (96%), Quebec (96%). – This is all clean energy.
Ontario’s Nuclear and Hydro combined represent 75% of power production – all of which is non carbon emitting and therefore would meet the definition of ‘clean energy’ in the context of Ignatieff’s speech, where clean energy was energy that did not contribute to global warming through CO2 emissions.
Michael Ignatieff is right that just 1% of installed power supply in Canada is wind or solar. That doesn’t change the fact that Canada is a clean energy leader through serious investment in reliable, predictable, and affordable renewable technology. A lack of wind and solar in the grid simply means the Provinces aren’t jumping on unreliable, expensive technology that doesn’t work. That’s a good thing.
Denmark and Germany are false idols of clean power. The majority of Denmark’s power comes from coal fired plants, and due to the unreliability of wind power, much of their production is exported to neighbouring countries that rely heavily on hydroelectric, but dial back it’s production to use the unreliable wind power when available. What it means is that Denmark isn’t nearly the clean energy leader that Canada is and that even with 19% of their grid being wind, they aren’t even displacing carbon emissions because they success in using this unreliable power is based on trading a stable source of renewable energy for an unreliable one. Germany is building 26 new coal fired plants to make up for the unreliability of wind power, and isn’t nearly as far along as Canada in carbon free energy either.
If you want to dabble in unreliable power production like wind – you need a smart grid, so you can shut the reliable stuff off when the wind decides to blow (this is seriously how the science behind this works). Smart grids cost billions and the only people who think the provinces should be developing smart grids are wind farm developers. It’s like if Ford or GM thought building more highways were a good idea. With hydroelectricity or any other proven source of power – where there is capacity within the grid you can build more supply into it, no need for the kinds of sophisticated, and otherwise unnecessary enhancements wind barons would have taxpayers paying for so we can buy their electricity at three to five times the cost any other form of power sold into the grid goes for.
As for Michael Ignatieff attacking the federal government because Barack Obama is spending six times more than the Canadian government on renewable energy this year, the United States is ten times the size of Canada, so a six to one ratio wouldn’t actually be that bad, but when you consider that over 85% of US power is produced by carbon emitting sources – the real story is how little the United States is doing. If he is worried about carbon emitting sources of electricty production he should be condemning the United States. Considering this is really a provincial issue in Canada, I don’t see why it would be that out of line for him to propose policy for another country too. After all neither is his jurisdiction. Many provinces did this work in Canada decades ago, and they did it right. It isn’t a fair comparison, and is irresponsible commentary from and political and policy perspective. The others (Alberta, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia and PEI) each have the responsibility to set their own production mixes, but this certainly is not the role for the federal government and never has been.
This is a really bad issue for Michael Ignatieff to seize on. He is misleading the public about the powers and responsibilities of the Federal government, the experiences in other countries, and trying to ignore what is a really great Canadian success story – hydroelectricity – so he can score some shots, irresponsibility trying to look green for supporting an unreliable technology that not only doesn’t work but isn’t part of the area of responsibility he is seeking from the public. It also costs a bizarre and indefensible amount of money and is probably the hottest political issue in Ontario with an organized grassroots opposition movement opposing it.
I will be writing Mr. Ignatieff, in my capacity as President of Wind Concerns Ontario to discuss the success story of clean energy in Canada as it relates to hydroelectricity, to share my perception of electricity as a provincial jurisdiction and to strongly advise against trying to use wind and solar as a political wedge, because it is one which such a strong force of opposition working against it, and such a limited merit that it neither makes political sense or public policy sense.
I also intend to engage the Conservatives, NDP, Bloc and Green Party in defending the good work if many provinces in seeking carbon free electricity and educating Canadians on these successes and not allowing any party leader to mislead the public on the facts, should the Opposition Leader seek to continue this current line on Canada’s reputation as a renewable energy leader.
16 Comments »Ruby WAS Running!
Recall my post “Is Ruby Running?” – my immediate response to viewing ‘www.yourvoices.ca’. I suggested that 90 000 members would be enough to take over the Liberal Party of Canada and 90 000 people each donating one dollar would also pay for the entrance into the leadership race? I also pointed out whomever bought www.yourvoices.ca did so four days before the economic update and therefore almost a week before the coalition idea came together and a spirited, democratic race fell apart.
Well, the Brampton Guardian reported today in their article “Leadership run not in the cards for local MP”
“Ignatieff has endorsed Dhalla’s Web site initiative, yourvoices.ca, developed during her contemplation of a run at the leadership. The site is a forum for grassroots Liberals to express concerns or ideas about issues and the party’s direction. It is also a vehicle for soliciting political donations. Dhalla had hoped to raise the $90,000 needed to enter a Liberal leadership campaign.
Any money raised through the site now, will go in to a fund to assist others who might aspire to mounting a leadership campaign someday, according to Dhalla.
“It (the money) would go in to the Liberal Party and we’re hoping to create a fund for the next generation,” she said.”
If it had not be so transparent I’d feel good about having been able to call it, but short of renting bill boards, it was painfully obvious what she was up to. What she possibly thought her qualifications are, are beyond me, but that will be a debate we won’t have to hear until next time.
1 Comment »Is Ruby Running?
I don’t like starting rumours, but after having seen ‘yourvoices.ca’ and getting an absolute ton of “Dr. Ruby Dhalla” google ads in my gmail account, I’m beginning to wonder. As you may recall during the lead up to the 2009 Leadership Race that wasn’t, Dhalla was sending out feelers and deciding whether it was a good idea or not to jump in. She ultimately didn’t, and the rest is history, or is it?
Consider this, the cut off to enter the race is not until some time in February or March 2009, it takes $90 000 and a prayer on paper to do it at this point. If one was able to seriously find 90 000 people who would each donate a buck, presumably many would donate 10 or 20, which would be damn close to the cost of a run. Further, if these 90 000 people who each donated a buck so their voices could be heard (this I will address later) also joined the Liberal Party before February 6th, they would join an existing membership of just under 70 000 and therefore be a majority, but also a majority who are interested in engaging the grassroots and therefore probably not thrilled by the events of last week.
I’m not saying this is a good idea, and if anyone were to organize under this kind of pretext, while I would recognize ingenuity, I’d have trouble supporting them because the self interest index would be off the chart. That being said, as a strategy, it isn’t such a bad plan. I mean if you can convince a grassroots movement to form, in effect take over the party, and have found a ton of donors to make it all possible in the process, you could spring out of the gate after all these members have joined and seek the Leadership with at least have some hope of making it happen.
Whomever owns www.yourvoices.ca registered it on November 23rd 2008, – four days before even the economic update happened and therefore the coalition idea had not even been born. They also put the privacy feature on when registering so it is unclear whose it is, but it is safe to say that this is not a formal Liberal Party thing as it does not carry the “authorized by” message, and Ignatieff’s folks wouldn’t make mistakes like that. Also – when asked on November 18th by the Brampton Guardian – she didn’t say no, she said “I am currently consulting with supporters and senior Liberals from coast to coast as to what the future holds. I will be making my decision public in the near future.”
The long and short of it is I’d like to go on record early suggesting that I see this as a pretext to either sneak up this time if yourvoices.ca is successful in finding 90 000 new liberals who will each donate and join the party before the cut off, and if it is not successful in the short term than I’m sure it is part of a “next time” campaign. The latter has more danger as so many Liberals are sick of the people who campaign for leader when we have one who has not announced any intentions to stand down. That being said, those who use that strategy (Turner, Chretien, Martin, Ignatieff) have won four of the last five leaderships. If this is the case, Ignatieff will need to stamp it out by allowing the concept, but making it a party thing, because we cannot afford another one of those.
The general idea of a www.yourvoices.ca concept makes sense, but the “pay to play” aspect is problematic. I am a grassroots Liberal with a lot of ideas, but some how pulling out my credit card (which I am sitting on and could quite easily) to make a donation to what could end up being a leadership campaign, and is not an official party process on engagement (therefore easier to ignore) just doesn’t seem like a big motivator for me.
I think the Liberal Party of Canada desperately needs to do some serious thinking about outreach, but it needs to be the National Executive, and the Leader heading up the process with some built in accountability. A Red Ribbon 2.0 may be in order, because the last one appears not to have worked, at least in the short term.
For those who think I might be a little nuts for my suggestion that this is a pretext to Dhalla throwing in, keep in mind the February or March deadline to file. The party has not suspended the convention, there will still be a convention and it will pick the leader. The membership cut off is on February 6th and the delegate election weekend is March 6-10th. The single largest challenge to beating a front runner is membership sales.
Read Ruby Dhalla’s letter posted on the main page after considering the facts above:
“Dear Friends,
Yourvoices.ca is about you. It’s about having your voice heard. It’s about making a difference.
Yourvoices.ca is a grassroots campaign to open the Liberal Party to new voices, to new visions, and a new future. This campaign is about building from the bottom up, about reaching into communities, about connecting with families, listening, and changing the way we do politics in our nation. With Yourvoices.ca you have the power to be apart of history for a cause that is greater than any one of us.
Yourvoices.ca has been created to hear your thoughts and suggestions of how we can better connect with Canadians, give them hope and inspire them to believe. As the Liberal Party goes through the journey of electing a new leader you have the opportunity to be apart of this change to make sure we get it right!
The goal is to have 90,000 new voices to help renew and rebuild The Liberal Party. If each of these voices contribute at least $1, Yourvoices.ca can raise $90,000, the amount that was needed to become a candidate. Yourvoices.ca is the voice of the people. Tell your friends, neighbours, colleagues and community members to join Yourvoices.ca. 90,000 people donating $1 each will raise the $90,000 we need to make history.
I am excited to be a part of this campaign which is about the grassroots, and look forward to reading your ideas and your voices. As we build a Canada in which every child, man and women, has the ability to believe, achieve and succeed.
Dr. Ruby Dhalla
Member of Parliament
Brampton-Springdale”
