Elizabeth May responds to Free Press Editorial

(To Winnipeg Free Press)

To the Editor,
Many things have been written about my oft-misreported comments related to the Harper climate plan. None were as irresponsible as your editorial. Had you made any effort to verify what I actually said, you would have discovered that I was quoting a very respected international expert, George Monbiot. As the author of the best-selling climate warning, Heat, and a well known journalist with the UK newspaper, The Guardian, Mr. Monbiot is what is generally called "an opinion leader."

Speaking at the Toronto Green Living Show, at a session hosted by Margaret Atwood, he was asked about the new Harper climate plan which leaves any pretense of Canada meeting our international treaty obligations under Kyoto in tatters. Mr. Monbiot expressed what many globally see. Our nation is now held in disrepute. Mr. Monbiot said, "[Harper's failure] will be judged in the eyes of history as more culpable than Neville Chamberlain's appeasement."

Not one of the several hundred people in attendance found flaw or fault with Mr. Monbiot's condemnation of our government's irresponsibility. Neither did any of those in attendance in the United church group in London, Ontario where I cited Mr. Monbiot's views. I was misquoted by the local newspaper reporter regarding radical fundamentalists as well.

Meanwhile, Mr. Harper saw a way out of the increasing unpopularity of his climate plan. His front benchers were also making a mess of any plausible story of how Canada handles Afghan detainees. His solution: change the focus to a persistent attack on my (misreported) comments. It was the act of a bully, and a coward, as I was not able to defend myself in the House of Commons. All the more reason for the Green Party to be in the Leader's Debate and to win many seats in the next election.

My views are not "peculiar." What is peculiar is the media feeding frenzy and failure to confirm basic facts before moving into attack mode.

ELIZABETH MAY, O.C.
Leader, Green Party of Canada