If the voters are concerned with the environment, the parties have no other choice but to revamp their agendas to cater to the same concern. This is the case in Canada, wherein the 2008 election campaign promises to be ‘green’.
The obvious and immediate concerns are global warming and climate change, but policies – green enough to protect Canada’s air, water and wildlife, are the shields being used by the parties. Each of the parties – the Conservatives, the Liberals, the New Democrats, Bloc Québécois and the Green party has its own framework aiming at reducing the country’s emissions by 2020. Their targets range from a conceivable 3 % to an overrated 30 %.
These parties have plans of regulating greenhouse gases at sources directly and providing subsidies for consumers, carbon taxing using “cap-and-trade system” to gain carbon credits. Some plans are based on substantial monetary investments for public transit and funds for promoting ‘green’ jobs and also on reducing the nation’s dependence on fossil fuels and use scientific recommendations to alleviate the concentration of heat-trapping gases. Plans also include economy-wide investments and incentives to achieve their set goals.
However, no matter what policies and agendas are set, the immediate response of the people would be to compare the incentives and subsidies provided. The concern, thus, for the environment would be secondary.
Source: Canada