Dear Editor:
RE: Trudeau to blame? (March 6).
Henry Brunsveld still does not believe in a climate emergency. In his letter to the editor last week, he refers to a report from the Fraser Institute (heavily funded by the oil industry) that complying with the Paris Climate Agreement means Canadians will experience “extreme economic hardship while only reducing global warming by less than a hundredth of a degree Celsius by 2100.”
Temperatures are already rising more than 0.20 C per decade and may increase by 1.4 C before the end of the century. Extreme weather events caused by global warming are already costing Canadians billions of dollars per year.
Brunsveld then continues to complain about the Liberal government’s wasting of tax dollars and implies that Americans are better off than Canadians.
Before going to pack your bags to move to the states, consider the following. Canadians have, in no particular order:
– a greater life expectancy;
– a higher literacy rate and better public education;
– less expensive university tuition;
– a better health care system;
– less expensive pharmaceuticals;
– a better public transportation system;
– one of the lowest crime rates in the world;
– a higher average minimum wage;
– fewer people living in poverty per capita;
– better inclusivity for women, LGBTQ and BIPOC peoples;
– a more stable and democratic political system;
– better hockey players; and
– better beer.
Canada is not utopia and our politicians are far from perfect, but I can clearly remember the words of my late father, who came to Canada in 1952: “Canada is the greatest country in the world.” Compared to what’s happening around the world today, I think he was right.
Vote for a party that values our fragile environment.
John Burger,
Orton