Over To You, Mr. Harper

"The fundamental challenge of our time is to make real progress on environmental protection while preserving jobs and standards of living. Finding that balance will require sound science, rational debate and political will over a long period of time."

But not too long a period of time, Mr. Prime Minister, truth is, we don't appear to have the luxury of too much more time to begin to arrest what appears now to be the inevitable degradation of our living space.

Your government now sees global warming as a "serious threat" and you're promising a realistic plan to deal with it. You're the boss. Yes, we recognize that there are differences between the Liberals with their lavish and insincere promises which resulted in no progress, and yours which is restrained but sincere and which we anticipate will result in progress. Would you consider reinstating the Northern Climate Exchange in the Yukon?

There's a modest start. How do you plan to respond to blandishments from the auto industry to phase out clunkers and encourage purchase of new autos - and Alberta's environment minister anxious that extraction in the Alberta oil sands not be too terribly inconvenienced by tough new government legislation? Of course Ontario's Liberal premier is in there too, anxious about potential economic disruptions. Quebec appears not to be too keen to anticipate problems with interference in their hydro projects.

You've painted quite the picture of Canada; how poorly we're performing in per capita emissions of noxious pollutants. You've convinced us. Actually, we were already convinced, but we do like to hear it from you too. You really, honestly planning to impose emission limits on production, manufacturing and automotive sectors? Ditto energy extraction? Ditto overall energy consumption and emissions? Yay.

How about depositing some of those surpluses in new technologies in energy extraction, in geothermal, waste-derived, biodiesel or other useful innovations...? How do you plan to deal with getting all the provinces and municipalities on board, so we can all pull together as a concerned and responsible collective? I understand the shift to a low-carbon economy has got to be a shared effort - how persuasive can you be?

Can you enact legislation making this federal government responsible for energy output and emissions? Can you sweet-talk the provinces to lapse their jurisdiction in energy policy? You've got the authority, it seems but the responsibility to act is elusively elsewhere, how unfortunate.

Are you willing, do you think you're capable of pulling authority over energy into the federal sphere? You're right, this is a really difficult row to hoe. And much depends on it.