Regrettably, the world seems to have failed to get the joke about Line Beauchamp’s wacky sidekick at the Bali climate change talks. Instead, Prime Minister Harper is somehow co-opting the agenda. The fun thing about Harper is you don’t have to pay him to behave this way: even in a world without lobbyists he would still do his damndest to give industry of the day free reign regardless of the consequences. He’s honest that way. This is just a bad time to have a colossally narrow-minded think-tanker as a national leader.

Dear Prime Minister:

I am appalled by Canada’s counter-productive and hypocritical negotiating position at the talks on climate change in Bali. If we fail to meet the emerging challenges of climatic change, the damage that will be done to Canada and the world’s social and environmental integrity far outweighs any short-term concerns about preserving the status quo for our extractive and emmissive industries. The Canadian government’s behaviour at the Bali talks is transparently an effort to stall and undermine progress towards effective reduction of climate-altering emissions.

As a progressive democracy and disproportionate contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, Canada should be setting an example to the rest of the world. It is not too late to reverse our position and begin to do so.

Yours sincerely,

Hugh Stimson

“Dear Prime Minister” is the correct way to address email to the Prime Minister (at [email protected], incidentally), although a poke in the eye is an acceptable alternative in person. Charmingly, my Member of Parliament Denise Savoie’s email is [email protected]. I think that was my email address in 1994.