Environment vote sites need a grain of salt

Be careful with the voter advisory sites...

Look at the riding of Thunder Bay-Rainy River. Its a race this time between the Conservative and NDP. Vote for Climate says vote for the Liberal MP, Ken Boshcoff. This despite a warning stating,

"if you decide to support Ken Boshcoff this election, you should still make him earn his vote! MP Boshcoff has not been the most ardent supporter of his party's climate change plan, and he needs to know that you are sending him back to Ottawa to get on with the serious work of cutting greenhouse gas emissions."

Anything but Conservative site says Vote NDP in this riding. And Vote for the Environment says "You Choose" and then goes on to tell us this...

"This is a tough one given this could easily be a three way race. Liberal Ken Boshcoff is the incumbent, but current polling puts the NDP in the lead with the Conservatives close behind. It will be important to avoid a NDP Liberal split with the Conservatives coming up the middle, so please check in later as we try to get some local intelligence as this race progresses."

I did check back later, election day morning, and still no recommendation here.

All indications show that the NDP candidate is likely to win. Why no recommendation on Vote for the environment given the Liberal candidate's lack luster support for environment and why is vote for climate saying vote Liberal given their own stated reservations.

Vote for the environment by voting against it...

Vote for the environment by voting against it...

I never ever thought I would see Joyce Murray and Vote for the Environment in the same sentance...


That's what the Liberal message is these days. Take the Liberal MP in Vancouver Quadra. Joyce Murray was once the minister responsible for the environment in BC. That may sound like a winner for you but look a little deeper. Murray was appointed minister of water, land and air protection. The BC Liberal Premier, Gordon Campbell had removed the word environment.

Murray laid off hundreds of wildlife officers, slashed 1800 jobs in her ministry, ended moratoriums that blocked new salmon fish farms and the hunting of grizzly bears, watered down pesticide and waste management regulations. Murray was a disaster at protecting the environment taking the ministry built up under the NDP as a one of the biggies and making it more or less, a cash and carry store.

Murray had a terrible record as a provincial Liberal environment minister. Vote for Environment says vote for Murray. This is what makes the Vote for the Environment site so irritating. I can not see how any environment voter in the NDP or Green that would be able to hold their nose and vote for Murray.