2003-04-09

I do not know whether to laugh or cry at Steve Gilchrist's portrayal of himself as an environmentalist candidate. Does he really hold the electorate in such contempt that he believes they will forget that it was the Tories who have gutted the Ministry of the Environment? Does he think they will forget that it was his government whose deregulation efforts resulted in record levels of pollution from the coal plants that were fired up to take advantage of the inflated energy prices?

Does he expect us to forget whose government has cut funding to public transit? Does he expect us to forget which government has allowed massive clear-cutting of Ontario's forests? Does he expect us to forget who betrayed the people of Ontario over the Oak Ridges Moraine? Does he expect us to forget Walkerton?

Does he expect us to ignore the polluted hole in ground on the south side of Lawrence where his Canadian Tire store used to be? Does he think no one knows the size of the vehicle he takes to Queen's Park despite living close to public transit?

While I welcome Steve Gilchrist's belated and somewhat limited conversion, he has been unsuccessful in pushing any sort of an environmental agenda within the Tory government. If the public wants their environment protected, they know to choose the party that has always been there on environmental issues. They will vote for the candidate with broad and deep environmentalist credentials.

The NDP's publicpower platform takes the strongest stand on the environment of any party in Ontario. They will stop hydro deregulation and privatization. They will refocus the organization on conservation and environmentally sustainable energy. They will protect our air, water, forests, agricultural lands and wildlife habitats.

I have been an active environmentalist all of my adult life. I have spoken and written often on environmental issues and have tried to conduct my life in an environmentally responsible manner.

Having environmentalist leanings in the Tories must be a lonely and frustrating experience. When they finally get around to calling the election, I am confident the voters will choose the candidate whose personal convictions are shared by his party.

Gary Dale, Provincial NDP Candidate
Scarborough East