By Roy L Hales
This mornings interview is with Simon Fraser Biology professor Lynne Quarmby, who recently came to the media’s attention because of her stand against Kinder Morgan on Burnaby Mountain. She had not fully realized the extent to which Canadians are disenfranchised. Though 70% of the population were opposed to this project, they had no voice in the matter. This led to her decision to “enter the belly of the beast.” Lynne Quarmby seeks the Green party nomination for the new riding of Burnaby North – Seymour.
“One of the reasons I am running for the Green party is that Elizabeth May is not a huge fan of party politics,” Quarmby says in the broadcast below.
“To me the word representative still has meaning,” She added. “If I am elected as MP of the representative of Burnaby North – Seymour, it is my full intention to go to Ottawa as a representative of that riding.”
One of her top priorities would be replacing the present electoral system with a proportional representation that more accurately reflects the wishes of Canadians. Under the old system, the Conservatives hold a majority of the seats though less than 40% of the population voted for them.
Canada take serious actions to address the problem of Climate Change. It is immoral to say “we don’t need to consider Climate change when we do these major fossil fuel infrastructure projects.”
“They know better, they can’t help but understand the science,” says Quarmby.
The Federal Government should not be pouring money into advertising the expansion of the Tar Sands, yet ignoring the Clean Tech sector.
“We have growing inequality in this country. One of the causes of that is corporate control of government,“ She said. “We are putting subsidies in the wrong places. We aren’t putting money into social programs, it is being used to support oil companies. I am an advocate of a basic living wage for all Canadians.
Quarmby believes Climate Change and inequality are related issues, they are not separate.
She finds the Federal Government’s “mistreatment of our aboriginal peoples” unacceptable.
As she wrote in her press release, “A prosperous, healthy, sustainable society is one that is built on values of respect for its people and the environment. This includes an authentic alliance with the indigenous people of this land. I am ready to work across party lines to develop policies that recognize these values and help us transition away from fossil fuels while developing a sustainable economy for everyone.”
Click on this Link to access the ECO Radio interview with Lynne Quarmby