Bipartisan Politics Or Bribery

Winners do what they need to do in order to win. Harper has taken a lot of heat for his jumping on the green bandwagon and while I personally feel uncomfortable caving in it is what real leaders have to do sometimes...change the game plan to satisfy the perceived wishes of the shareholders.

$30M buys NDP's goodwill

Ottawa's funding for B.C. rainforest seen as satisfying one of party's concerns
February 01, 2007
Allan Woods
Ottawa Bureau

OTTAWA–A strange and risky unofficial political alliance between the NDP and the Harper government on the environment has been bolstered by a $30-million federal contribution two weeks ago to a rainforest in the British Columbia riding of the NDP environment critic, the Toronto Star has learned.

A potential deal between Jack Layton's New Democrats and Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Tories has been rumoured ever since the two leaders agreed last fall to send the government's Clean Air Act to a special legislative committee to be rewritten.

But it was at a Vancouver meeting of Layton, NDP environment critic Nathan Cullen (Skeena-Bulkley Valley) and Environment Minister John Baird that the NDP's political demands started to bear fruit, sources said.

At that Jan. 11 meeting, Layton presented his list of demands to the Tories – primarily a series of amendments to be made to the government's Clean Air Act – if they were to regain credibility on the sensitive environment file.

The government has been heavily criticized since presenting its environmental legislation last fall.

Before consenting to anything, sources in B.C. and Ottawa said, Layton told Baird he wanted to see a sign of good faith showing the Conservatives were actually committed to the environment, and not just trying to save their minority government from defeat.

"That absolutely happened," said one source. "It was one of many, many components that helped get them over the top on this."

Then, last week, the environment minister arrived in Vancouver to announce a $30-million contribution to an investment and incentive fund to help conserve the Spirit Bear Rainforest. It was matched with $30 million from the British Columbia government for economic development and $60 million in private funds.

"A number of political stars aligned," the source said.

$30M is chump change......