Don’t be playin' me Rona

Watching the replay of question period this evening for the first time since my vacation in May, and it seems little has changed. Every answer is still “Liberals did nothing, Liberals bad.” Also, Jason Kenney should send Alfonso Gagliano some topical ointment because the old guy's ears must be burning.

But what I found particularly amusing amongst all the hot air was Environment Minister Rona Ambrose’s answer to a question from the Liberals on the Con’s so-called clean-air bill. Here’s her answer, in its entirety:

Well Mr. Speaker, I’ll take friends like the Canadian Lung Association and the Canadian Medical Association who are saying, Mr. Speaker, that millions of Canadians suffer from lung cancer. And while the opposition refuses to help them we are actually proposing Canada’s Clean Air Act, which will, for the first time in Canadian history, actually regulate indoor air, which is the leading cause of lung cancer in Canada among non-smokers. So if this member actually cared about clean air, and cared about the health of Canadians, he would support this act.

So, there you go, if you don’t vote for the Conservative bill you want all Canadians dead. Just kidding.

But if you’re just half-listening, you’d think she’s saying the Cons have the full support of the CLA. That’s certainly the impression she wanted to give. Look more closely though. What did she actually attribute the groups as saying? Only “that millions of Canadians suffer from lung cancer.” Then she goes into her why her bill is great speech, and lets listeners falsely make the link in their minds. Clever, Rona.

What does the group actually think of the Conservative bill? In a statement on their Web site, the CLA indeed welcomes the attention to indoor air, and is supportive of strong regulation in the area. Just one problem. They don’t think we can wait 44 years for Rona and Stevie to actually do it, nor does it find Rona's future proposals near strong enough:

The Lung Association has serious concerns that the proposed approach under the Clean Air Act will not reduce emissions of greenhouse gases quickly enough to lessen the health effects of climate change. Warmer temperatures caused by these emissions contribute to the difficulties of Canadians suffering from respiratory illness, for instance, by increasing the frequency and severity of smog conditions in urban centres.

“We are very concerned with the proposed targets for greenhouse gases and the use of intensity-based standards in the short and medium terms, since these will result in a continuing increase in total emissions,” said Dr. Barbara MacKinnon, Director of Environmental Research for the New Brunswick Lung Association. “‘We think both the targets and the time frame need to be revised to bring much earlier net reductions."

So, that’s what the CLA actually thinks of the bill, no matter what Rona wants you to think. And that's just one example of Conservative foolishness/dishonesty/trickery that I decided to highlight from today's QP. Runner-up was some fun Jason Kenney whoppers around debt repayment. Yeah, I know you're sad to miss that. Exciting indeed.

You know, if only we could harness the hot air coming from the Conservatives here they could meet their emmision reduction targets as early as, say, 2045.

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