On today’s BradCast, we examine the huge news out of Canada last night as the Liberal Party and its leader Justin Trudeau swept into power and Stephen Harper’s Conservative Party government was sent packing.
We speak about the big development with Canadian Alex Doukas of Oil Change International, who explains the election results first in broad terms, specifically for those of us in the U.S. who may not have even realized Canada was holding a major election this week!
Doukas describes the results as “a referendum on Stephen Harper’s leadership” as much or more than a “vote of confidence” for the Liberal Party. “Canada’s sliding back into recession now, in contrast to a lot of other G7 economies,” he tells me. That’s “partly a result of the knock-on effects of a low oil price, [and Harper’s] nearly single-minded promotion of Canada’s oil and gas industry at the expense of other sectors.”
“Harper really bet the farm on oil and gas in his policy approach, and he lost that bet,” he says. “And, unfortunately, that bad bet is now hurting Canadians.”
We discuss what Trudeau’s stunning win may mean for the future of energy and climate related issues in Canada, including the Keystone XL pipeline project, Canada’s commitment to an international climate treaty, their reliance on a fossil fuel economy and their relationship with the U.S..
“Hopefully,” he tells me, “with a new government in power, we’ll start to see recognition of the value of economic diversification and a recognition that oil and gas is not the future for Canada, but that clean energy is really a huge opportunity for Canadians.”
Doukas goes on to offer extraordinary clarity on all of the above and also offers a thought or two on the Conservative Party’s newly implemented vote suppression techniques they seem to have picked up recently: “The Conservatives in Canada were learning lessons around voter disenfranchisement from GOP politicians south of the border. So, thanks for that.” You’re welcome, Canada!
Also today: More on KS Sec. of State Kris Kobach’s outrageous voter suppression; Jim Webb drops out of the 2016 Democratic Presidential race; And much more sea change in today’s Green News Report with Desi Doyen…
Democratic socialist Corbyn thoroughly buggywhips the British conservative agenda last month….hmmmm….
Democratic socialist Trudeau squeezes the Canadian right wing in a nutcracker, sweet!!….hmmmmm…
Now if only America had someone running for President as a Democratic soc…HEY WAIT A MINUTE!…WE DO!!!….Hell, there was a stage full of them at the Democratic debate a week ago!…there was the REAL Bernie Sanders, and then there was practically everyone else on stage pretending to be him, parroting his positions, co-opting his concerns and mouthing a vague semblance of his message….sorry, guys (and gal) there is only one Bernie Sanders, America’s next President, and the closest that ANY of the rest of you will EVER get to him are his initials….