This is the beginning of a column by Tony Burman in The Toronto Star, November 23. Burman was head of Al Jazeera (English) and CBC News.
“When will this horrid scandal end? Can someone please turn the channel? Shamed on the world stage and ridiculed by many, Canada has been exposed in recent days as a country with political leadership that is greedy, self-indulgent, incompetent and dismissive of our children, as well as woefully captive of special interests.
And I’m not referring to Rob Ford. His 15 seconds of fame – as “The Crack-smoking Mayor Who Knocked Down Granny,” as London’s tabloids described him – will end one day. Just keep breathing deeply.
I mean, in tabloid terms, another story: “The Short-Sighted Canadian Government that Robbed Our Children.” And, sadly, its legacy may never end.
The Washington-based Center for Global Development has placed Canada last among the 27 wealthy nations it has assessed in terms of environmental protection. Every other nation has done more than Canada.”
I would love to see more of this column. Does Canada’s ranking have anything to do with its exploitation of shale oil?
The Star article is at http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2013/11/23/canadas_real_international_shame_and_its_not_ford_burman.html
The CGD online report is here http://www.cgdev.org/initiative/commitment-development-index/index . Click the “Environment” tab.
Aldous Huxley, C.S.Lewis and JFK all died on the same day, Nov.22, 1963. There’s a fine article in the NYTimes:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/24/opinion/sunday/douthat-puddleglum-and-the-savage.html?ref=opinion&gwh=E84F9EA224A8E1398C0F006183B49508
Cheers,