Greens shut out of TV debates

I can't believe they've shut her out again! What are Harper and Layton so afraid of?!? (Apparently, the Bloc has never said they'd pull out if Ms. May was included.)

Please sign the petition! I'll be boycotting (not watching) the debate unless she is included.

Edited to add:

Interesting to read the quote from Gerald Caplan in the G&M (in response to the question "Should she have been included?"):

Gerald Caplan ( former NDP campaign manager): Very forcefully yes.

I'm dismayed at the decision to keep Ms. May out of the debate. It's contrary to democracy, common sense and civil decency. I'm hugely disappointed that the NDP is party to this exclusion. I'm shocked that the Conservatives and NDP apparently have threatened not to participate if she had been included. I'm incredulous that Mr. Layton would use the Liberal-Green deal in a single seat to argue that they're virtually the same party. I can hardly believe Mr. Harper's brazenness in saying, without an iota of proof, that Ms. May intends to endorse Mr. Dion.

"Shun meat, says UN climate chief"

Great story to find, esecially after visiting the Toronto Vegetarian Food Fair:

"Shun meat, says UN climate chief"

(Source: BBC)

[Important Notice]

Green Party Knows Environment & Economy Should Be Same Thing -- But Their Own Pollsters Forget

Compare these three quotes, first and second from their Green Values statement, and the third from a recent official Press Release:

"We acknowledge that human beings are part of the natural world and we respect the specific values of all forms of life, including non-human species.
[...]
"We acknowledge that human society depends on the ecological resources of the planet, and must ensure the integrity of ecosystems and preserve biodiversity and the resilience of life supporting systems."

http://www.greenparty.ca/en/about_us/green_values/ecological_wisdom

"Creating a world economy which aims to satisfy the needs of all, not the greed of a few; and enables those presently living to meet their own needs, without jeopardising the ability of future generations to meet theirs."

www.greenparty.ca/en/about_us/green_values/sustainability

"Overwhelmingly, Guelph voters say the environment is the most important issue: 50% rating it as the #1 or #2 issue vs. 37% for the economy and 28% for health care."

www.greenparty.ca/en/releases/05.09.2008

Again, the environment and the economy are treated as if they were two separate issues. Where is the polling question about reconciling our economy with the ecosystem? By failing to make the connection, this Press Release and poll are undermining the Green Party's core message.

(Edited to fix links, change "unofficial blog" characterization as this was an official Press Release, make contrast between Values and last quote easier to see, and strengthen the last paragraph.)

[Important Notice]

Dion Wants to Link Environment and Economy - Video Clip

Dion shows again that he sees the issues as related, and even links them with social fairness:

Speech video: http://watch.ctv.ca/news/latest/liberals-vision/#clip90399

Whether his policy is the best one on the combined environment/economy/social justice question remains to be seen.

(Q & A session video:http://watch.ctv.ca/news/latest/liberals-vision/#clip90400)

But he shows that he "gets it" by posing the issue the right way. The Tories are not even close.

[Important Notice]

Hey Pollsters and Canadians, "Economy" and "Environment" is the SAME Question!

The depressing thing about the hoopla leading up to today's Canadian election call was the poll results. It's not just that the Tories, who continue to score lowest on Climate Change policy, might be set to win a "majority" government. Or that despite all evidence to the contrary, "On climate change, 68 per cent of us think Harper's government is taking the right approach" (CBC). The trouble is also at a deeper level: pollsters asked Canadians which party is best able to manage the economy and which party is better for the environment -- and got two different answers!

Remember folks, the economy and the environment are really the same issue:

• As the saying goes, "the economic system is a wholly owned subsidiary of the ecosystem".
  
• You cannot have a good economy on a wrecked planet.
  
• Any economic policy which destroys the ecosystem is bound to result in disaster.
  

So pollsters should ask, "which party is best able to transform our economy so that it stops destroying the ecosystem on which it -- and we -- depend?" And Canadians should start thinking about it quickly, before it's too late.

[Important Notice]