Harper's New Environment Minister

John Baird is Harper’s new Environment Minister. He doesn’t exactly have the best qualifications for the job, having been a cabinet minister in the Mike Harris government (and subsequently energy minister under Ernie Eves, Harris' successor), two administrations that systematically resisted doing anything about climate change.

An interview with Baird by Kathleen Petty on CBC's House made clear that his knowledge coming in to the new job is, shall we say, limited. Among other things, he refers to the closing of the Lakeview Power generating station in the future tense. Except, um, it was demolished last year.

Listen to the interview (it is at the beginning of the show). Among other things he avoids the opportunity to agree with Petty’s question suggesting that the issue of climate change was “urgent”. And he was quite vague on whether he believes in Kyoto. Pathetic.

Update: Further reflection tells me the interview illustrates that the government has no idea what it will do. It sees the matter as political, not one of environmental substance.