Why newly elected MP Lisa Raitt should not be Minister of Natural Resources

During the Oakville Chamber of Commerce All Candidates Meeting on Monday, October 6th, Lisa Raitt publicly announced that she is excited that the polar ice cap is melting. When asked about Arctic Sovereignty, Ms Raitt responded, “What is going on up there right now is really exciting. Yes, there is melting and for the first time we are actually thinking about using the Northwest Passage for shipping lanes…. Tourism in the Arctic has grown exponentially and is becoming bigger and bigger up there. There’s going to be a likelihood of commercial flights going through that area. We know the fish are migrating further north, so that provides the fisheries resources in order to place fisheries officers up there.” This response illustrates Ms Raitt's lack of insight into the devastating consequences of global warming. Ms Raitt subsequently published the newspaper article with this quotation on her website, demonstrating that she is completely out of touch with the reality that the polar ice cap is melting because of greenhouse gases and climate change. What Ms Raitt has failed to realize is that if the polar ice cap continues to melt, the resulting changes to our climate will not be cause for celebration.Arctic Sovereignty is only a hot topic because the oil underneath the polar ice cap is becoming more easily accessible. Several countries (including Canada, Russia, China, USA and Greenland) are jockeying for position to be first in line to claim that oil. Instead, we should be trying to find clean, safe, alternate sources of energy, and put an end to this vicious cycle of worldwide oil dependence. The pursuit of oil should not dominate the global economy, nor should it be allowed to ravage the world’s delicate environmental balance.Ms Raitt's appointment to Minister of Natural Resources clearly demonstrates the Conservative Party's lack of commitment to sustainability. The melting of the polar ice cap is not exciting; it is one of the most destructive and dangerous consequences of our addiction to oil, and it is disturbing to hear Ms Raitt's response.The Green Party platform supports worldwide efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and to finding clean, sustainable sources of energy. Our policies on penalizing polluters and investing in a green economy offer balanced solutions to Canadians for a sustainable future.Think Globally, Act Locally, Look Forward!Amy CollardGreen Party of CanadaCandidate for Halton