Five American Robins returned to our yard over the past few days and what welcome harbingers of spring they are. The day before yesterday I accidentally roused them from the shelter of our open garden by the foundation of our house. It was minus thirteen with the wind chill and it is warm and protected there so I can’t blame them for wanting to snuggle in. Their little breasts were all puffed up on their post startle Maple tree perch to protect against the North Wind (that) doth blow.
Our chives are four inches up and making my mouth water. It is taking all of my powers of resistance not to trim off them and make potato salad. One of our kale plants somehow survived the winter and the near continuous avalanche of snow off our metal roof. Winter began here in November and showed its face again with several centimeters of snow blanketing the yard upon our waking two mornings of the past three. The late snow does brighten everything except our spirits.
I find that April on PEI can look like November which is why harbingers of spring are so rejoiced upon by members of our household. And especially so this year as there it seems like it has been six months of near constant upsetting global news about climate change. Every sign of new life emerging brings something sad in me back to joy. Spring is the life renewal I require to continue the work of transformation towards a more sustainable lifestyle and to continue keeping the pressure on governments to make urgent change at the municipal, provincial, federal and international levels.
Speaking of governments, on Monday April 8th ECO-PEI live streamed the four leader’s debate on the environment. Our two oldest and my husband and I all watched from home grateful that we were able to be informed even though we didn’t get out for the event and grateful that we live in a democracy that sees four leaders come together to receive questions from environmental organizations and the public at large.
Some of my personal takeaways:
Green Party Leader, Peter Bevan-Baker impressed right off the mark with his impassioned statement that we are the environment and the environment is us. The idea that nature is somehow separate from us is a false notion which has been handed down to us from the same institutions which tell us that we need to step inside a building to practice spirituality or to learn new things. We are the Earth and the Earth is us. We are all one and the sooner we collectively begin to take ownership of the fact that this gorgeous little floating orb is the only home we have the sooner we will awaken to our own tenderness to better care for Earth.
NDP leader Joe Byrne seemed very natural in all of his responses. Nothing sounded rehearsed, it all sounded quite matter of fact to him, as though he has been considering these things for a long time. His sense of reverence for nature matched Bevan-Baker’s but his overall tone was lighter in that he had a general sense of jubilance about him rather than the sometimes, seeming bitterness of PB-B.
But then again, how not to be exasperated at times when Bevan-Baker had to suffer through four years as an almost lone and unwavering voice countering and questioning the Liberal gov’t in power led by Wade MacLauchlan and their slow movement on the environmental front. MacLauchlan’s tone last eve was as expected; at times defensive and always driven by the same economic mindset which underlies much, if not all, of the Liberal government’s decision making. The environment is viewed almost in its entirety in economic terms; as a collection of resources to be commodified. MacLauchlan even went so far as to say his gov’t is all for a digital museum which can bring nature to the school children and people from afar through virtual means. Isn’t this promoting the very disconnect which has brought us to the point of near ecological collapse? Alas, perhaps any gathering of information at this stage of the game is better than none. I still prefer the thought of bringing people out to natural environs in their pristine habitat and having the learning experiences there. I am thinking of Macphail Woods Ecological forestry project’s Native Plant Arboretum and their Restore an Acre sites as beautiful examples of living museums vibrant with the changing seasons.
An unexpected but welcome point was made by newbie PC Leader Dennis King regarding agriculture and food production. He noted the growing market for vegan foods and suggested that farmers look into these for potential cash crops. Merely the mention of the word vegan was exciting to hear from a gov’t official. Of course, whether growing for a vegan or traditional market, growing practices need to be more sustainable in general. And all four leaders addressed the need for improving soil quality. MacLauchlan repeatedly referred to the 4 R’s of Nutrient Stewardship his gov’t is advocating for soil conservation. Based on the severity of soil erosion evident this winter as high winds blew over Island fields left to sit without winter cover, agriculture on this Island still has a lot of room for improvement. The good news to me is that it is being openly discussed.
Another surprising point made by Peter B-B was his comment on carbon taxing, and its importance but his final note on it was that he said how Islanders spend a returned carbon tax should be left to the free market. This surprised me as I am almost always in agreement with the Greens on environmental and social policy matters. This time I had to side with Joe Byrne’s immediate and apt response that the free market is largely what got us into this mess in the first place. Perhaps this leans towards a more democratic socialist ideology but so be it. Depending upon the free market to work out the spending on the carbon tax sounds ludicrous to me. Trade agreements which favour corporations and make every attempt to circumvent local environmental regulations have wrought devastation on soil and air and waters the world over. The Island is currently caught in a battle between the largest agricultural influencer –the Irvings—and our right as Islanders to keep control over the precious ground waters here out of the Irvings hands.
I also thought it was very telling that in Mr. MacLauchlan’s opening remarks he spoke of his gov’ts trust in getting their hands on “the best possible information” with regards to the well being of the environment.
From whom and how does government get their hands on “the best possible information” in an unbiased manner? And what actions will be undertaken following the information gathering?
The whole debate got a little bit strange at the end when questions from the audience were fielded.
Audience member’s questions seemed to largely represent the questioners own personal interests rather than a general concern for the environment at large. The final question was more of a comment on an innovative Island business trying to get more sustainable transportation off the ground. It involved a lengthy descript of the gentleman’s business which had the moderator, Dr. Carolyn Peach-Brown, repeatedly asking the audience member to get to the question please. The question was regarding financial support similar to that granted in some other provinces for those wanting to purchase electric vehicles as well as a concern regarding the significant amount of red tape in the way of those trying to run a businesses dealing in sustainable transport. Strangely, this question seemed to turn the debate into a Dragon’s Den episode with Dennis King animatedly expressing that if he gets into gov’t he wants to do business with the gentleman asking the question. Hmm?
All personal opinions set aside, the attendance on the debate was a worthy commentary on the number of Islanders deeply concerned about the state of the air, soil and waters here. This was welcome to see given my disappointment hearing from several politicians that they are hearing little to no concerns about the environment and climate change being expressed by constituents as they canvas in their districts.
I still personally hold the Green party as the party most dedicated to environmental concerns although I was very impressed with NDP leader Joe Byrne’s passion and level of knowledge on social and environmental concerns as well. The debate made the line between these two leaders less clear in my mind and reaffirms my own desire to see these parties merge to make a viable alternative to the same old, same old political volleying that has occurred on PEI for years on end.
To watch the four leader’s debate on the environment click on the facebook link provided here:
https://www.facebook.com/ecopei/
Thanks to all who made the debate happen and thanks for reading some of my thoughts on it.
Happy Spring Election Season!
Jill
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