Prime Minister Justin Trudeau seems to be facing an uphill battle in the lead-up to the national election this fall.
Since being elected in 2015, the Liberal leader has certainly earned some worthwhile criticism.
His tenure has left plenty to be desired -- from inadequate action on legal tax evasion as billions continue to be siphoned out of our economy into offshore havens every year, to a major broken campaign promise on electoral reform that will result in either Conservative or Liberal governments being granted majority mandates despite barely earning a minority of the overall popular vote.
Ending the pointless and costly prohibition on cannabis was certainly a step in the right direction but that alone is unlikely to secure a second term. And while the federal government’s recent announcement that single-use plastics will be phased out and banned by 2021 is also a commendable policy decision, Trudeau did himself no favours during a recent public address.
But while his bungled press announcement about “paper, um, like drink box water bottles sort of things” could not have been more awkwardly embarrassing, the intent behind the policy is nevertheless admirable.
With countries such as China essentially no longer accepting plastic recyclable materials and breaking headlines about loads just being illegally dumped in jungles or the oceans, we must absolutely and immediately reconsider our addiction to convenience consumerism in favour of more sustainable alternatives.
The key words in the federal government’s ban are “single use.”
Plastics, often made from petroleum, have to a large extent enabled modern life as we know it. But their excessive and reckless use is also starting to threaten the planet’s environmental health — and our own well-being by extension, with for example micro plastics finding their way into our food supply.
So carrying a sturdy, reusable plastic water bottle that depending on the brand and quality, could cost about $20, might not be as convenient as its disposable counterpart, this small step is arguably part of the larger equation if we’re serious about taking measures to leave behind a liveable planet.
Conservatives talk a big game about being concerned over debt loads future generations will inherit, despite the fact Mulroney's and Harper’s governments alone are responsible for a large part of our nation’s debt burden.
Yet when it comes to the condition of the environment our grandchildren and their children will inherit, there’s hardly ever a peep to be heard — mostly just deflective dismissals that attempt to downplay the serious threat to ecosystems around the world posed by ceaseless, shortsighted and insatiable human consumption.
We should be at least as equally concerned — if not more so — about the state of the natural world future generations will inherit than the amount of debt they’ll have to deal with.
So while Trudeau has earned no shortage of the criticism he faces, his government should also be given credit where it’s due, and we’re glad Canada is joining the numerous other jurisdictions around the world that are attempting to stem the disconcerting levels of plastic pollution choking the planet.
— Ducatel is the Round Up’s editor
