Lead The Way, Mr. Baird

But for goodness' sake, stop politicizing the issue. We've had more than enough of the kind of arrested adolescence seen in the finger-pointing and accusations. Time to pull ahead, demonstrate maturity and begin to work together to plan a working assault on environmental degradation. Canadians are already aware, painfully so, that our previous government committed us to a serious venture incumbent on us as responsible consumers to lend ourselves to creating fewer greenhouse gases through more intelligent energy consumption.

Lead the way. Seriously. Forget that bloody rhetoric, we've had enough of it. And stop the hypocrisy. As environment minister in this new Conservative government you've been handed the portfolio and you need to run with it. You urged all federal parties yesterday to set partisanship aside and to get moving on the file. That's really good. So why spoil it with even more partisan sniping, reminding us ad infinitum how ineffectual the Liberals were? We know all that.

You're right. This issue shouldn't be a divisive one. It is too critical in nature for all of us, for the future of mankind, to be the sole domain associated with any single political party. Yes, you're right, we're facing failure if we can't see it in our best interests to pull together. So start doing just that. Stop the schoolyard bullying. So far you've been as bad as the opposition in that respect.

We need short-term targets. We need to see some meaningful and workable solutions right now. They don't need to tackle the really big question since that will require far more effort and long-range planning. But not too long-range; too much time has elapsed, too many potential solutions unsought. If you're serious and your heart is really in it because you're now taking the issue seriously, take the leap into finding solutions.

We need to enact laws that will cap emissions from industry. They've had enough time since the problem has been bruited about for decades, to come up with some solutions to the problems relating to their production of greenhouse gases. Slowing the rate of increase is a target, but only a really short-term one, and that means short-term. We've wasted too many decades in disbelief and indecision.

The solution will begin with immediate, incremental reductions. We can settle for stabilization for the short term, but that's a holding position. Stabilization will have to morph into aggressive actions to reduce emissions, to result in meaningful cut-backs. Industry profits will have to be plowed back into research for emission control and cut-backs. This is not unreasonable.

Government will have to target ways in which it can inform Canadians and lead us to a place where we become comfortable with doing our part to help in the process.