What is Harper Afraid Of?
by Franke James
Map in detail 
Link to secret report 
TAKE ACTION:
The Green Party of Canada: Sign the Petition to Stop Bill C-38
Lead Now: Tell Finance Minister Jim Flaherty: Stop the Budget Bill from Selling Out Canada’s Natural Heritage and Economy
Dogwood Initiative: Sign the No Tankers Petition
Avaaz Petition: No Enbridge Tankers/Pipeline in BC Great Bear Rainforest!
Support Environmental Groups: Blackout Speakout on June 4th
Pacific Wild’s Action Tips: Writing Letters to Local and National Newspapers
Visual Essay Credits
“Hey Mister Prime Minister, What are You Afraid Of?” © 2012 Franke James
Writing and illustration by Franke James (see additional photo credits below).
Transcript: Features quotes from Franke James’ March 3, 2012 interview with Joe Oliver, Federal Minister of Natural Resources.
Thank you to the following organizations for photos and resources:
Pacific Wild
All Great Bear Rainforest photos © Ian McAllister, Pacific Wild
How did they vote?
Member of Parliament “look up” API technology: How did they vote?
Living Oceans Society
Living Oceans photo: T-Shirt with “I have this Sinking Feeling about Enbridge”
Living Oceans photo of First Nations “We say no to Enbridge” protest
Living Oceans Map of Proposed Tanker Route to Kitimat
Pembina Institute
Tar Sands Mining Photo: © David Dodge, Pembina Institute
Photo: Suncor upgrader complex adjacent to Athabasca River © 2002 Chris Evans, Pembina
Dogwood Initiative: No-Tankers Loonie decal
Additional photos used with permission
Dr David Schindler photo: Ed Kaiser, Edmonton Journal
Syncrude 2007 -12 photo © 2007 David Dodge, CPAWS
Empire State Building photo © Daniel Schwen, 2008, Wikimedia
Oil Sheen From Valdez Spill photo Wikimedia © NOAA
Dead Oil Covered Birds Photo © Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council; Wikimedia.
Selected Background Research:
Oil Sands Pollution, Pipelines and Tankers:
- Secret Environment Canada Report (ATIP request by Mike De Souza, PostMedia)
- Living Oceans: Who Pays? Fact sheet
- Living Oceans: Taxpayers on the hook for catastrophic oil spills from Enbridge Northern Gateway
- Raincoast: What’s at stake? The cost of oil on British Columbia’s priceless coast (See Exxon Valdez spill costs page 35)
- Dogwood Initiative: The Epic Struggle to protect B.C.’s coast
- Exclusive Map: The Tar Sands Pipeline Boom
Silencing the Scientists (The Shortlist)
- 2012 Toronto Star: Federal scientists say they’re being muzzled
- 2012 CBC: Muzzling of federal scientists targeted by campaign
- 2011 Canada.com: Ottawa silences scientist over West Coast salmon study
- 2010 Canada.com: Climate-change scientists feel ‘muzzled’ by Ottawa: Documents
- 2008 Kevin Grandia, DeSmogBlog: Harper Government Muzzling Environment Canada Scientists
Silencing Franke James
- 2012: Voices-Voix The Blacklisting of Franke James
- 201-2012: Franke James’ Fight Against the Harper Govt’s Censorship of her Climate Change Art
RESEARCH, NEWS AND REPORTS:
2012:
- Mike De Souza, PostMedia Feds to cut air pollution monitoring team
- Mike De Souza, PostMedia Federal government could be sued over fisheries reform, minister admits
- Robyn Allan,The TYEE Gateway Designed to Pump Far More Crude than Advertised
- Editorial, The Globe and Mail Ottawa should halt its smear campaign against pipeline detractors
- First Nations UN Complaint: Harper Government Racism on Pipelines Violates International Law
- BBC News article [re: Cree Lake Nation] EU to vote on oil sands pollution
- Andrew Nikiforuk, The TYEE Eleven Oily Questions for Every MP
- Andrew Nikiforuk, The TYEE The Expert’s Report that Damns the Northern Gateway Pipeline
- First Nations Press Release: Enbridge Review: First Nations Accuse Harper Government of Flouting Its Own Laws by Predetermining Outcome of Pipeline Review
- Globe and Mail Meet the ex-Bay Streeter leading Tory charge against oil-sands opponents
- Peter O’Neil, Calgary Herald Natural Resources minister blasts plan to block Northern Gateway pipeline
- Rebecca Penty, Calgary Herald Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver defends regulatory overhaul (Revokes NEB’s power)
- UK Reuters: Jeffrey Jones, Calgary Enbridge’s Gateway pipeline still in legal swamp
- Toronto Star, Tim Harper: Pipeline politics in Canada and U.S. a peril for Stephen Harper
- CBC News Harper warns pipeline hearings could be ‘hijacked’
- Laura Payton, CBC News Radicals working against oilsands, Ottawa says Environment groups ‘threaten to hijack’ system, natural resources minister says
- The Globe and Mail An open letter from Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver
2011 News:
- Mike De Souza, PostMedia ‘Secret’ Environment Canada presentation warns of tar sands’ impact on habitat
- Secret Environment Canada Report (ATIP documents obtained by Mike De Souza, PostMedia)
2010 News:
- Dr. David Schindler: Deformed fish found in lake downstream from oilsands
- Dianne Saxe Envirolaw: Syncrude pays $3M for dead ducks
May 25th, 2012 at 9:26 pm
I’m not a radical either but I’m concerned and wish the Federal Government would care and pay attention to the opinions of many Canadians. I feel like we are being bamboozled and ignored. Forcing ahead with unpopular policies and laws is not representative of the voters. Remember who you are representing. Everyday Canadians.
May 25th, 2012 at 9:51 pm
Thank you for this excellent petition done in such an effective way. Keep up the great work. If they have blacklisted you it’s because they really are afraid of people speaking the truth.
May 25th, 2012 at 10:09 pm
Franke, this is amazing, disturbing and beautiful all at the same time. You are awesome and I want to do everything I can to help get your message out to Canadians.
May 26th, 2012 at 12:37 am
[...] Franke James ” What is Harper Afraid Of? TAKE ACTION: The Green Party of Canada: Sign the Petition to Stop Bill C-38Lead Now: Tell Finance Minister Jim Flaherty: Stop the Budget … [...]
May 26th, 2012 at 1:38 am
Very nice! I do secretly wish that you had video of him saying these things.
Are you keeping an eye on SinoPec’s SCC appeal of its charges for killing workers? I believe the claim is that Alberta has no jurisdiction because SinoPec doesn’t really have a Canadian presence. If they win, can you imagine what that would mean to their obligations to clean up any tanker spills? It boggles my mind.
The only comfort I can take is that people must wake up and this nightmare must end in 3 years. And then, these laws will be against them when they are in opposition. They will be hopping mad. Karma.
In the meanwhile, maybe we should start petitions to have all House of Commons water supplied from the Athabasca River, immediately adjacent to the oilsands and the fish served in the cafeteria and have it presented by an MP to the House.
Maybe we should get the garbage floating ashore from Japan and ship it to Peter Kent, Joe Oliver and Harper. Then they would understand that nature doesn’t recognize borders.
May 26th, 2012 at 1:55 am
Engineering firms do pre development studies for clients. Within six months they are purchased by firms such as Enbridge and other agencies. Now when a problem hits due to a poor environmental impact study, guess who gets the blame? It’s not the one who did the study! It’s the agency who purchased the data believing it was good. Enbridge gets blames for pipe breaks when sometimes it’s NOT THEIR FAULT. Any pipe could break if it’s built on top of PEAT MOSS, or on shifting grounds of an Aquifer. In the Canada and the US: NO ENGINEERING FIRMS are held accountable for bad baseline data. And when leaks happens guess who profits? By UNDERESTIMATING RISKS these firms can profit from remediation. SOLUTION 1: To solve this issue, we need to hold engineering firms accountable for the work they do. Make them liable so they will have no choice but to good studies. SOLUTION 2: Create manditory standards for what is deemed REASONABLE TESTING CRITERIA. Currently there are not standards. By mandating test times and methods including proper bore hole depth, spring thaw water levels, multi year creek assessments we can go a long way to making sure our environment stays safe.
May 26th, 2012 at 7:00 am
[to Mr. Harper] I know you will not read this, it is the way of the coward. We will however rise up in righteous indignation if you harm so much as one creature in the Great Bear Forest. There will be a tipping point and revenge will surely come.
May 26th, 2012 at 8:18 am
The sad part about this whole affair is that there is already a route through the mountains to the coast that is readily available, only partly polluted, and would result in much lower construction costs. By building a pipeline alongside the Trans-Canada Highway, Mr. Harper could get his “sell Canada’s resources down the drain” pipeline much more cheaply and with much less environmental risk. The Port of Vancouver can handle big ships much more effectively than Kitamat.
Just don’t tell Joe Oliver that *burning* that oil in China will produce much more CO2 than refining it in Alberta, but the effect on global climate will be the same no matter where it comes from.
Sigh.
May 26th, 2012 at 1:07 pm
Beautiful
May 26th, 2012 at 2:42 pm
Mr. Harper… Do you think we do not notice you are removing all agencies who monitor pollution of our land, sea and air, muzzling scientists and the press and showing a blatant disregard for MP’s of the Opposition Parties in Parliament? We are watching you, Mr Harper, and we are not pleased! Your actions are, once again, contemptible.
May 26th, 2012 at 7:59 pm
Absolutely excellent! Thank you for all the facts, fabulous drawings and creative display of this crucial message. I’m sending this to everyone I know, and hope we can get rid of Harper’s government asap! Obviously the corporate agenda is running things, with no care about people and environment. The Great Turning is starting to happen and thanks to all those taking critical action!
May 26th, 2012 at 8:02 pm
Totally awesome in content, creativity and critical timing…. Now…. to act…. let’s send this to everyone we know!
May 26th, 2012 at 11:25 pm
An incredible presentation. I have emailed my MP, and have shared this on Face Book, and with friends, not on Face Book. Let the Beavers all join together, and get this job done!
May 27th, 2012 at 11:48 am
[...] May 27, 2012 by Zephr What is Harper Afraid Of? [...]
May 27th, 2012 at 12:37 pm
[...] I just stumbled across Franke James visual essays of environmental issues: http://www.frankejames.com/debate/?p=11818 [...]
May 27th, 2012 at 4:22 pm
1. Let’s remind PM Harper that:
“A Conservative is, by definition, a conservationist.”
After all, Brian Mulroney was given an award for the best environmental policies of the 1980s.
2. What think you of this ‘alternative’ (addition?) to Keystone and Northern Gateway pipelines:
“Future of TransCanada’s Mainline could spur Canada’s next great energy debate”
http://business.financialpost.com/2012/05/25/retooling-transcanadas-mainline-could-spur-canadas-next-great-energy-debate/
Claudia Cattaneo: With TransCanada looking to switch its namesake pipeline from gas to oil, this country could be heading for its own Keystone-XL-sized controversy ….
3. Let’s remember that ALL of us burn electricity and transport ourselves … USING FOSSIL FUELS!
What exactly are WE doing -personally- to Reduce our Nuclear and Fossil Footprints?
Where do we think our electricity, oil and natural gas originate?
Surely we don’t want to ban them and return to the era of wood smoke!
As Franke and others have noted, it’s Not that we shouldn’t harvest the resources, but How we get them to market Safely, and deal with the waste by-products:
- Nuclear waste hasn’t been solved since they built the Pickering CANDU plant 50 years ago.
- Fracking contaminates ground water in Alberta, but Ontarians have warm winter homes.
- Oil can pollute air, water and ground, but we like to commute to/from our jobs.
4. And is there anyone Not complaining about the rising cost of gasoline and electricity, and all of the grocery and other products and jobs that are affected?
How much more would it cost for us to have absolutely clean, downstream nature?
Would it drive our employers to leave Canada?
Don’t we all look for the Cheapest Price when we shop?
Can clean Canadian companies compete globally?
(Canada is the world’s highest per-capita trading nation – that trade employs us.)
What DO we do? Harper & company seems to be going too far, but what Are the solutions? Does anyone have them, or will they all promise the moon just to get elected?
May 27th, 2012 at 6:57 pm
Keep up the important work of telling the truth about what Harper and his cronies are up to. You give hope and inspiration to others who sometimes feel like they are screaming at people to wake up, and still they go unheard or are muted and derided. Thank you!
May 27th, 2012 at 11:21 pm
[...] threat to our well being, not to mention our sacred headwaters and our coastal environment. Check this out. [...]
May 28th, 2012 at 12:26 am
Ms Truppe:
Have you seen this? I just went through it. What is the matter with Harper? Is he insane – or just stupid? Are you and your fellow Cons so spineless, so cowardly, and so brain-dead that you will let this evil psychopathic madman determine our country’s future? Are you so happy to have jobs as MPs that you will not lift a finger to stop him or, at least, try to influence his traitorous policies? If you have a drop of courage or an iota of conscience, please use it to stop this man’s bizarre view of reality!
Sincerely,
John Turner
May 28th, 2012 at 2:16 am
While I agree that a pipeline to source oil for China is fundamentally flawed, and that oil sands are not the answer to our dependence on far east oil, I am also thoughtful enough to educate myself on the verbiage and terms at hand.
Fact: There are no tar sands in Alberta. It may seem like a subtle mistake but the oil sands are not tar and the people behind the corporations will never listen (last time I checked the feds didn’t own a major oil company) until the protest is educated enough – cares to be educated enough – to properly describe the issue.
Ban OIL sands…one day I hope we will, stop a cross BC pipeline to supply oil to China, yes, but first – and I mean this seriously, stop buying everything you use from your computer, to your car, to the clothes on your back, to your oranges and kids toys (and most of the plastic junk in the world) that is feeding the demand to produce over seas.
Protest, yes. EDUCATE YES! And moreover, stop and think about the source of the issue. It’s easy to your finger…but we are all part of the problem.
I ride the bus, our bikes and the 4 cylinder car we share are made in Canada, and I only buy apples grown in BC. Do your part!
May 28th, 2012 at 2:32 am
[...] do not want to get in trouble and I do not want to be labelled a “radical“, but this cartoon by Franke James is simply too good pass up. Share this:TwitterFacebookPinterestLike this:LikeBe [...]
May 28th, 2012 at 11:07 am
Franke,
Fabulous visual essay.
Here’s s few more items to add to your list of science programs being cut from the government (which the Vancouver Sun today has Minister Goodyear will have “no impact” on science in Canada):
-Cuts to NSERC programs (major source of funding for Science and Engineering research in Canada)
-Closure of the Experimental Lakes Area
-Shutting down national contaminants program within Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Who will the managers in our government have left to manage?
May 28th, 2012 at 11:24 am
hi there, this is really well done. i am wondering if it would have better impact if you put the slides with voice over on youtube? just easier to share and people will be more apt to view a 2 min vid then read through the slides.
i think it’s really cool and compelling but i’m one of the few who will read to the end.
have you heard of thought bubble? they’re in TO and they do similar type videos with awesome graphics etc. (i don’t work for them, i just know their work) but this could be something similar. maybe yu can get some ideas from them???
just a thought.
again, great work here!
May 28th, 2012 at 11:40 am
Jacquie,
Thanks for your suggestions! Some people love the visual essay format and some prefer video.
So, I have an animated video with voiceover of “What is Harper afraid of?” that is on exhibit in an art gallery in Elora right now.
http://www.frankejames.com/debate/?p=11781
I’m planning on posting the video later this week on Vimeo (and maybe YouTube).
Cheers,
Franke
May 28th, 2012 at 11:42 am
Never stop fighting for our Wildlife and our beautiful Country CANADA
May 28th, 2012 at 11:43 am
Wonderful, powerful and strikes to the heart~not of the Harper Government because it seems they do not have one (like the tin man). Keep up the stunning truth of your graphics. You are superb!
May 28th, 2012 at 12:06 pm
[...] http://www.frankejames.com/debate/?p=11818 [...]
May 28th, 2012 at 12:31 pm
Never have I felt such a sense of dread about something. This is ecological disaster waiting to happen. This just can not be. Please do what you can to help the people of BC in this war that has been waged on our province.
Sincerely,
Susan MacLean.
May 28th, 2012 at 1:00 pm
Thank you so much for putting this magnificent essay together. It’s everything I believe in… saving Canada from Haper’s destruction. Our children and their children will look back on this piece and thank us. I can see this essay being printed in history books for all to read.
May 28th, 2012 at 1:44 pm
Those of us who have watched in horror as the Conservative Party has incrementally attempted to silence the voices of Canadians… whether through the firing of scientists, the shutting down of watch dogs, the attempt to silence respected environmental groups, the demonization of First Nations, the attempt to paint ordinary Canadians as radicals and terrorists, and the arrogant move to give parliament the right to override any decision coming out of hearings headed by democratically appointed committees – are appalled. Many of my friends in Alberta have sworn they will NEVER vote conservative again.
SHAME ON YOU, Stephen Harper, Joe Oliver, Peter Kent! This will not be forgotten.
Thank you to Franke James for her dedication, passion and talent.
May 28th, 2012 at 2:58 pm
Wow! Franke – what an awesome amount of work, both research-wise and artistically. Well done going to your MP AND what a “coincidence” it is Joe Oliver! You are an inspiration to go deeper, make more links and fight harder to both stop the pipelines and make the tar sands development slow down, clean up their act, and proceed responsibly (if that’s not an oxymoron…)
May 28th, 2012 at 3:31 pm
Brilliant piece of work! I’m sending a message ti my MP, John Duncan (who I think should have the courage to stand against this these egregious acts), as well. Faint hope, I suppose but one can only try.
May 28th, 2012 at 3:53 pm
It is very scary what Harper and his government are doing to the environment which in turn affects negatively the lives so many animals. I’m afraid his changes will take years to reverse.
May 28th, 2012 at 4:08 pm
Thank-you for this well-researched document. I will be happy to forward this to my contacts and really hope that a massive response from everyone out there, Canadians and other concerned friends will resonate with our government. We can only hope, Karen K.
May 28th, 2012 at 5:39 pm
I am Canadian but live, currently, in the US. I will try to make my American friends aware if these issues so that they can oppose the pipeline here.
May 28th, 2012 at 6:21 pm
[...] The full content of this pictograph is available here on Franke James website. Please read it, send a letter, even if you live outside Canada, to let the Canadian Prime Minister [...]
May 28th, 2012 at 6:31 pm
This is brilliant. It’s simple and concise. The two ingredients that our society and its leaders seem to need in order to take the time to digest information. Thank you for producing it. I’ve emailed my MP and hope it wakes the Harper Government up, although I know it much, much more than my voice will be required.
May 28th, 2012 at 9:30 pm
And what exactly is wrong with Alberta making trillions? You say it like it is a bad thing. FYI – There is and never has been an area known as the “Great Bear Rain Forest”. That is just a name some hippies made up for cut block 67334.
We do agree that President Harper must go. He is a radical and he is ruining our country as fast as he can.
May 29th, 2012 at 1:31 am
Mr. Harper,
You have made Canada an environmental pariah on the world stage. We should be building a green economy with a national energy strategy based on new green technologies and doing it as if we were fighting a war. A recent article in National Geographic quoted scientific research as stating that ocean acidification from burning fossil fuels at the present rate would destroy the world’s coral reefs by 2050 (that’s less than 40 years away) Do you not love your children? Is this the world you would leave them? What kind of a monster have you become?
May 29th, 2012 at 1:32 am
Wow you put it all together so well.
May 29th, 2012 at 2:21 am
WONDERFUL WONDERFUL WONDERFUL, I love it. Spreading this around. THANK YOU!!
And to those of you who point the finger about how we get around, it’s the gov’ts that have stopped the production of alternatives. We cannot buy, what is not there.
May 29th, 2012 at 4:07 am
It is more important for me to get this message out and inform people …. than to sleep! There is no time to remain “silent”, “sleeping”, and the worst “stupid”. Wake Up!
May 29th, 2012 at 4:53 am
WE DO NOT HAVE TIME TO REMAIN “sleeping”, “silent”, and “stupid”.
Prime Minister …… WAKE UP …….. and LISTEN
May 29th, 2012 at 7:23 am
It is time to look out for our fellow Canadians! We are being taxed to death! Which is why the rich get richer and the working class get poorer….Not to mention our poor health system! Thank you for sharing…
May 29th, 2012 at 7:49 am
A brilliant way to make people take notice. Well done
May 29th, 2012 at 9:50 am
Fantastic stuff Franke, a truly enlightening piece of work.
May 29th, 2012 at 11:23 am
Thank you especially to Dr. John Stockner (above May 27, 11:11 PM) for having the courage to speak out the truth in it’s most raw and basic way. We no longer recognize the Canada we knew and loved, and under the Conservative Harper Government it will continue to decline to the point where those of us who care deeply for our country, and its environment, will no longer feel safe, secure and protected in the manner to which we were previously privileged. Shame on you Stephen Harper and your ill advised ministers.
May 29th, 2012 at 11:48 am
Wonderful visuals and message – many thanks for illustrating so graphically and powerfully the devastation the Harper government is bringing to democracy and the environment. Thank you Franke – you are great!
May 29th, 2012 at 11:59 am
I suggest we scrap the party system and make politicians personally responsible for their decisions and if these bad decisions lead to this change then good for you. While you are at it make us so angry we want to get rid of the monarchists altogether and perhaps invent a democratic process to replace it.
May 29th, 2012 at 12:08 pm
Franke
This Canada Day I think I will be flying a new flag. Something which more closely represents what is happening to this land. Any ideas? Lets toss this one around and see what people come up with.
May 29th, 2012 at 1:09 pm
[To Prime Minister Harper] I was a proud Canadian until you got voted back in.
I am disgusted with Canadian Politics and I personally think you Mr. Harper should be held accountable for your actions and or inactions.
The Albera Tar Sands are but one of the horrid scabs left by you and your disease is traveling throughout our precious system.
If you have a shred of decency you will stop this cancer from spreading any further. Please remember, there are a billion futures depending on the decision only a few make. And by billion I do mean years this glorious earth can bring us if we treat it with RESPECT.
May 29th, 2012 at 1:17 pm
Failed democracy!!
May 29th, 2012 at 2:33 pm
Chock-full of excellent research as well as delightful artwork and poignant prose. The responses are enlightening as well. People do care. Fabulous!
May 29th, 2012 at 5:09 pm
great stuff!
May 29th, 2012 at 5:57 pm
This is an amazing pictorial essay, powerful in a way that words cannot match.
Last month I participated in a small meeting with John Carmichael, conservative MP in Toronto to discuss the government’s position on climate change. He was polite enough to sit and discuss for over an hour, but was clearly not swayed from the party line… However, every concerned citizen needs to keep up a constant barrage of facts in spite of the apparent futility. Eventually there will be an impact.
May 29th, 2012 at 6:30 pm
To Susan Lee Hem: Not all Canadians voted for him. I sure didn’t and I don’t think all who did realized his evil intentions.
Thank you Franke!
Mr Harper couldn’t care less what we think, never has, never will. He’s like so many other world leaders who only care about money, power and massaging their egos. They say they care about their own children and families but they obviously don’t. Actions speak louder than words. If they don’t care about their own families why would you ever expect them to care about the rest of us?
May 29th, 2012 at 7:44 pm
Fear separates people from one another and separates people from the earth. I actually want to stand with you Mr Harper from a place of mutual concern for Canadians and for all people. Regret is always too late. Please pay attention to Canadians now. Thank you.
May 29th, 2012 at 7:54 pm
How accurate – Harper/Conservatives = the puppet government of Canada. I cringe to think of our descendants thoughts of us if we allow this government to have their greedy, oil-soaked way on any of these issues. Power to the people as they once said and what sure holds true again now!
May 29th, 2012 at 8:53 pm
Harper is afraid of the truth. That’s why he’s muzzled and fired all the scientists.
May 29th, 2012 at 10:25 pm
Changing our ways for the environment will never be convenient or easy but it needs to happen now!
Using the excuse that the economy is unstable to not make changes is just that, an excuse. If we act now, we can be one of the leading countries to make renewable energy a priority. Let’s make a beautiful line of solar panels instead!
May 30th, 2012 at 2:44 am
[...] 26, 2012 – What is Harper afraid of? – oil spill pictorial by Franke [...]
May 30th, 2012 at 10:03 am
Stephen Harper won’t be in office much longer if he ignores environmental issues – it has gone global and what would that say about Canada if our Prime Minister (whoever that is and will be in the future) does nothing to support and promote Green? Canada will be at the bottom of the list of “developed” countries. Then, who will want to invest in our country? No one!
May 30th, 2012 at 1:19 pm
This should precipitate a great deal of thought. We in British Columbia honour the natural esthetics of our province. Unfortunately the folks in Ontario are not aware of what we have here. It is about time those who dictate our future wake up and realize that they are throwing away our most valuable heritage… our future and the future of those who follow us. How about “protection” instead of “destruction”?
May 30th, 2012 at 4:34 pm
Thank you Franke for your humorous, artistic and well researched attempt to sum up the trail of on-going and impending destruction being wreaked on Canada by the Harper Government. I have really appreciated being able to read the eloquent responses of your readers as they share their horror of what the consequences of these actions mean for Canada and the world.
In particular, what I really appreciate about your piece is the collation of what the Harper Government has been doing since it took office. Looking at a chronology of the legislation since they have been in office forms a more cohesive picture of what they are up to. The more solidly this can be presented to people, the harder it becomes to deny what you are claiming that the Harper Government is up to in your piece.
Bravo
May 30th, 2012 at 5:39 pm
Nobody talks about the sea-water ballast that the tankers would bring back and dump in our waters, with oil residue and god knows what else!
May 30th, 2012 at 5:45 pm
I am most afraid of the secrecy and circumvention of democracy that seem to be the hallmarks of the Harper Conservatives (where is our census and numerous regulatory agencies???).
May 30th, 2012 at 9:10 pm
This is an excellent pictorial explanation of the harm Harper ahd his underlings are doing to Canada, and the threat to future generations. I fear for the Canada my greatgrandchildren, now a year old, will inherit.
Mr Harper, you should be afraid of the contempt in which you are held. The worst dictatorial PM Canada ever had. May our own courage save us from what you want to destroy.
May 30th, 2012 at 10:16 pm
I am so encouraged to see these issues put together in such an effective way, and to read many of the comments in reply to this visual essay. Thanks you, everyone! I feel like every day I learn a new change enacted by the conservatives that is quickly destroying the Canada I know and love. I often feel hopeless as it seems that everyone is so numb to politics that we aren’t even willing to stand up and hold our politicians accountable. People act as though this is just normal. I feel like shaking people and telling them WAKE UP! PAY ATTENTION!!! This is NOT NORMAL! A few more years of this and I won’t even recognize the country I have lived in all my life. What kind of a democracy silences the voices of any of their citizens, much less scientists that are supposed to provide us with knowledge to base our decisions upon. What kind of a democracy exists when the average people just accept what is happening instead of holding their representatives accountable for their actions/inactions? What kind of leader holds the interest of a few multinational (mostly foreign owned!) corporations over the interests and needs and health of their own citizens? I feel like I’m in a nuthouse when I think about what is going on. It truly is insane!
Just a note to everyone out there who cares to fight and make a difference: Try to write (physical) letters whenever you can! You might like the convenience and paper-less method of emails, but unfortunately it seems paper letters are more effective. It is also FAR more effective to write letters in your own words.
Good luck to you all! Let’s be strong and make our voices heard! We will not be silenced or censored! Together we can defend the Canada we know and love from greed and insanity.
May 30th, 2012 at 11:37 pm
I am not an activist or a radical.
I am a Canadian who wants to preserve our beliefs and values. This includes democracy and a functional Parliamentary system – it’s not the best system but it has worked for us until now.
Now that ideology and greed have taken over the PMO, Canadians are under attack.
There are 36 million of us. Only a few thousand of them (MPs, Lobbyists, Oil and Gas execs, etc).
Thank you for your great work and your contribution to the resistance. It is NOT futile! WE. WILL. WIN.
May 31st, 2012 at 8:09 am
Thank you very much Franke for your beautiful art protest, I would have liked to forward it to my friends to signed your protest too. Unfortunately it does not give me the option just to e-mail it.
I am not into Facebook as I do not even trust them anymore.
Thanks again,
Birgit
May 31st, 2012 at 10:26 am
Bonjours M. Harper !
Félicitation pour tenir tête au mouvement féministe et a ceux et celles qui s en servent pour s’emplire les poches et se faire passer pour des gens qui prétent être la pour le bien-être de nos enfants … Ces gents, politiciens politicienne (Poline Marrois) DPJ, avocat en matière familliale, Fonctionnaire a la RRQ, fonctionnaire à l’aide juridique, contrôleuse des arme à feux voila tous ces gens qui coûte une fortune à l’état. Cette perte économique est sens aucun doute dévastatrice, pour notre planette.
SVP. Continuer a leur tenir tête et a faire un bon ménage dans le mouvement féministe qui s’associe au mouvement gay pour vous menacer et ce donner du pouvoir lors des élections. Ce mouvement s’infiltre a grand pas dans notre gouvernement: aide juridique, DPJ, alocation familiale, revenus québec et canada, contrôleur des arme à feux, etc.
je suis avec vous et malheureusement je suis un des rares citoyens a avoir compris ce fléau et a avoir voter pour vous au Québec.
Ne laisser pas cette vermine continuer a nous contaminer, couper leur le budjet et poursuive les en justice, j ‘ai en ma possection un bon dossier qui pourrait vous être tres utile.
Si vous avez besoin de moi je suis la en tout temps
Je vous souhaite bon courage et percéverrence,
félicitation
Mario Brouillard
May 31st, 2012 at 10:36 am
[...] background and support information (links, research papers and news reports) for What Is Harper Afraid Of? [...]
May 31st, 2012 at 11:18 am
I’m simply AFRAID
May 31st, 2012 at 11:32 am
I am a radical Christian, and I have lived in BC all my life. God gave us creation to use and enjoy, but not to abuse, and we live in God’s world, not ours, we are a part of it. I know that many Conservatives, including Stephen Harper, are sure that this world is going to end before we pollute all the water, use up all the oil, and raise the temperature and wreck the whole planet, but this is sure a proud and selfish way of looking at prophecy, the Bible, and God. I’m not kidding, this is how they think, just because Jews are back living in Israel again, and other things like the United Nations existing!
We have to work together, because we all need air, water, and clean soil. None of us can afford the cost of even one tanker spill on our West Coast, and oil pipelines leak almost like sieves. You don’t have to look far beyond the “Oil Sands are jobs for the future” glossy happy ads to find out that the whole place is a great location shoot for Mordor if anyone wants to remake “Lord of the Rings”. Just do a little bit more to help stop the Enbridge Northern Pipeline, and keep more bitumen in the tar sands any other way you can.
May 31st, 2012 at 12:34 pm
excellent presentation… i makes me wonder how much money enbridge is promising prime minister harper and other members of the government for silently sneaking this through… most of us already know that the prime minister is not the kind of man that worries about the future as we do. he worries about how much money he will make.
the article didn’t mention anything about the native people that are suffering higher rates of sickness, including cancers as well as an increased infant mortality rate and aborted pregnancies. after all this time, the canadian government is also still trying to wipe out the first nations people too
buck
May 31st, 2012 at 1:43 pm
Buck,
Thanks! The huge issue of people downstream (which includes First Nations) being poisoned was the focus of the section about whether Joe Oliver about would eat the fish from the Athabasca River…. and whether he had seen the “secret” report. Look at that section again and you’ll see the First Nation complaint to the UN about racism, and my question to the government and the oil industry about “the cost of doing business”. Also, the issue of class action lawsuits — which the govt should be afraid of.
See my Fat Cat Canada essay for more on the toxic impact of the tar sands:
http://www.frankejames.com/debate/?p=964
Franke
May 31st, 2012 at 3:41 pm
Good work and thank you Franke!
May 31st, 2012 at 4:00 pm
You’ve done an incredible job here with this visual essay / infographic! Can you convert it to a slideshow or video? if so i would be happy to help you post it.
P.S., my mom, who is also not a radical (and passed away in April) made 10 green toques with the idea that we could create a cool campaign against the Northern Gateway. Please contact me if you can think of how to make use of the toques!
Bill
May 31st, 2012 at 4:13 pm
[...] Here is a brilliant look at the world of Steve and his radical friends! Thank you for this Frank James. [...]
May 31st, 2012 at 6:00 pm
Thank you to everyone for your passionate and thoughtful comments on “What is Harper afraid of?” They are all fascinating to read!
What Harper is really afraid of is YOU speaking out, and talking to your friends!
My Facebook friend Bruce Elkin said this after reading my essay, “Rise up Beaver Nation! Rise up!”
We need to demand that our “leaders” put the environment on equal footing with the economy — because you cannot have a healthy economy if you have a sick environment.
Congrats to all of you for speaking out here!
Franke
May 31st, 2012 at 7:24 pm
Thank You for Putting All This Very Important Information Together in Such an Accessible and Captivating Way!!! May Your Message Reach Many Millions and Be of Benefit!
May 31st, 2012 at 10:59 pm
[Prime Minister Harper] As an Albertan Canadian, I cannot countenance the damage you are doing to Alberta & Canada.
May 31st, 2012 at 11:35 pm
Very beautifully done. Thanks Franke
June 1st, 2012 at 4:19 pm
Sad to say that, despite the overwhelming and growing mass of evidemnce (facts!), the current government will do exactly as they wish to support the Oil Industry’s wishes. the answer, though it will take some time, is to overturn this group through the ballot box.
June 2nd, 2012 at 5:22 am
Dear Mr Harper,
I wish to submit that your support for the Alberta tar sands, for the Enbridge oil pipeline (“Northern Gateway” project) and for shipping oil down a hazardous coastline is a terrible threat to the environment. I have been informed that this pipeline plan to source oil for China is flawed. Globally, you and your government are quite unpopular for the continued support to killer chrysotile asbestos industry and hazardous waste trade. Your support for this pipeline makes you further unpopular. It is clear that you and your government is insensitive towards the incurable diseases caused by environmental factors. This is reflected in the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement under negotiation between India and Canada. Now it has come to light that you are cruel towards your fellow citizens and their environment as well.
In view of the facts, I urge you and your government to do a rethink about your support for Northern Gateway” project in particular and other regressive environmental policies and projects in general.
June 2nd, 2012 at 6:57 pm
I hope together we can STOP all this insanity that rips at the heart of every Canadian and many others as well. Our precious Democracy is fast eroding! It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see our beautiful planet being destroyed at an alarming rate!The Harper Team has slammed the book shut and turned a deaf ear to the people who in fact-pay their wages!!This smacks of CONTROL and we know what that means!—-As the “Eagles” sing these words–”There is no NEW FRONTIER, we’ve got to make it here!”–”They talk of PARADISE, while kissing it GOODBYE!” As Carl Sagan so aptly described it,”our beautiful “pale blue dot”. We are basically alone at the far end of the Milky Way galaxy. This is our only home.E.T. is only in the movies!! Together we can change things!Hope springs eternal!! I urge you Mr.Harper please listen to your people and scrap the “Northern Gateway Project!”
June 2nd, 2012 at 10:06 pm
Thank you Franke James.
Your post prompted me to reformat for my MP, a letter I was writing to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon as this solar cycle comes to a close. My message includes a well researched essay ‘Why does the World Shadow Government destroy its own home (planet)?’ one of many essays to help us understand where we are, how we got here, the urgency of transparency, integrity, clarifying where we choose to go next as a species, and how to get there from here. http://cosmicconvergence.org/?p=900
Beyond mainstream media disinformation, everything hidden is being revealed organically to clear negativity and preserve life, which require us to unite and speak up peacefully for justice, peace, and the natural good of all life forms including Earth, as a new sustainable world emerges foretold as 2012 by many indigenous cultures, every major religion, and perceived by consciously aware scientists to greatly alter the course of evolution.
People who have the privilege to know have a duty to act.
June 2nd, 2012 at 10:20 pm
We need a new paradigm to fight these “amoral assholes who do business the 1% way”. We are in a medium to long-term WAR and can’t afford to lose it to these “greedy bastards”. We have to start bringing the fight to their home front by interjecting ourselves into their personal lives in many creative ways…to embarrass them publicly among their peers, social cycles, clubs, etc., etc. It’s obvious that the usual ways are really working and aren’t sustaining any critical momentum in the environmental movement to reverse the tide of these Gaia violators. We have to step it up with greater efficiency, effectiveness, and urgency.
May 25th, 2012 at 9:02 pm
My heart breaks with the knowledge of what Harper plans to do to our Country.
We have all seen what kind of damage the oil spill make to our planet and to all
the animals that live~ there we have seen birds dropping from the sky whales dying and washing up to shore.
We hear that they have no idea why birds and fish were dying~ but we Canadians sure know
this is happening so others from another Country get rich ~and when the damage has been done to out Country they just go home to theirs . We will stand together because we have had enough prof we rather have our Country our fish and sea, our trees and fresh air then all the money in the world and really we Canadians wont be reaping the rewards of the death of our Country. As a matter of fact we the poor will paying for this for the rest of our lifes through cancer death, poison …
May 25th, 2012 at 9:59 pm
Amazing work Franke! I just emailed my MP. Thank you!
May 25th, 2012 at 10:30 pm
I am furious about the secrecy and lack of consultation with constituents of BC (Canadians)about Enbridge pipeline. Bill 38 is poisonous bill that must be stopped!
May 25th, 2012 at 10:47 pm
I don’t live in Canada, but this angers me so much I had to write Harper! Keep up the good work, Franke! Proud to know you!
May 25th, 2012 at 10:56 pm
Wow. As usual, Franke, you sum it up in an extraordinarily thorough and clear way. Thank you.
May 25th, 2012 at 11:32 pm
Great work Franke… I will ask everyone I know to get on it!
May 26th, 2012 at 12:09 am
Thank You So Much!
May 26th, 2012 at 12:45 am
Thank you for your creative efforts to get our message to Harper, to anyone who will listen, take action, pray for a miracle. I’ve never been so worried for our country, our environment, our people, in the hands of Harper. Our pompous leader who yawned his way through the G8 as though he didn’t have a care in the world, let alone any respect for it.
May 26th, 2012 at 1:18 am
I commend you Franke, on this great piece of TRUTH! This government needs to listen to the people – this pipeline will not ever see fruition; there will be more lawsuits and class action suits than they can begin to imagine!! This government has tried to lead Canadians down the garden path – but no more!! Our country is carrying a $64 billion deficit …… the sheer number of lawsuits will not only bankrupt the Conservative Party, but will do the same to the foreign investors who were made promises by this government – promises they had no legal right to make!
I fervently hope there are at least 13 Conservative MP’s smart enough to know when to jump ship; cross the floor to another party, or sit as an Independent, because if there aren’t, and this Bill 38 passes – the Conservatives are toast!
May 26th, 2012 at 1:39 am
Wonderful expose of how a failed government works to justify their ends. Hopefully we can help accelerate the end of the Harper government before it is too late for our beautiful Canada!
May 26th, 2012 at 7:30 am
Great creative expose Franke, with strong clear arguments. Thank you!
May 26th, 2012 at 8:25 am
I love it when artists speak out. They make it clear and memorable. Thank you Franke!
May 26th, 2012 at 9:36 am
Excellent! Thank you so much for the creative way all this material has been presented!
May 26th, 2012 at 12:07 pm
Very well done!!!
Message sent!
May 26th, 2012 at 12:28 pm
Great Letter,I sent mine off to my MP also..
May 26th, 2012 at 5:12 pm
Thank you very much for this creative message.
May 26th, 2012 at 9:46 pm
AMAZING! I just emailed my MP. What a great way to present all of this information and the incongruence of government environmental policies.
May 26th, 2012 at 10:43 pm
Thank you so much! Your art and information is so powerful!
May 27th, 2012 at 7:25 am
Brilliant! I salute you as a fellow Canadian, environmentalist, artist.
I have many friends who are not on Facebook who would forward this. Can you send me a copy by email please?
May 27th, 2012 at 12:36 pm
Please Please Please
Let us wake up together and stop this terrible travesty.
The lack of transparenecy of this government is feeling very dangerous to our well being
Can he not know how this will affect our environment.?
The conscience of our leader is greatly in question.
More and more of us must understand the falsity of the claims and the dissembling nature of this government.
May 27th, 2012 at 2:34 pm
Thank you so much for posting this. I hope and pray that Harper and his government can be stopped. Canada is such a beautiful place to live and it’s our natural resources that make it that way. I am, however, believing that Stephen Harper doesn’t give a damn for anything except that “great green god” we call currency….and it makes my heart sad. Does he not think of his children and their future….and our children and their future??? I think not.
I will be sharing this and hoping everyone I know shares it as well. WAKE UP PEOPLE!!! We are the only ones who will make the change happen – and we need to GET RID OF THE HARPER GOVERNMENT!!!!
May 27th, 2012 at 10:14 pm
Thank you, Franke, for this excellent and concise statement fully prepared for us to send off to our MP.
Will now share with everyone I can. We cannot give up our efforts to make things better again before we are so far off course it might be impossible to reverse the destruction of our planet.
May 27th, 2012 at 11:11 pm
[To Mr. Harper] As a recently retired government scientist with DFO working on Sockeye Salmon habitat and developing and greatly enhancing their juvenile production for 29 yrs in over30 BC lakes, I am in awe at the actions of the conservative government in muzzling scientists, whose basic tenant is to “search for the truth’ the mandate of science. When in USSR in the 70′s I saw first hand the muzzling of scientist that did not follow political policy and found their science was silenced; and the fear in the scientist’s eyes who were afraid to talk to me for fear of prosecution even imprisonment, haunts me to this day. Is that what you wish my country Canada to become, a non-democratic soviet style state? I’m sorry, but I can no longer remain silent and tolerate the secrecy associated with your party policy and the untruthfulness as well. I will do all within my power as a citizen and still working as an aquatic scientist to resist passage of the underhanded and fraudulent way you hope to pass the budget bill without public discussion. If passed this will effectively undo what for 30 yrs I have done to preserve and enhance salmon habitat in British Columbia. Your government is a disgrace to me and to the world view of Canadian ‘democracy’.
May 27th, 2012 at 11:36 pm
Thanks for this inspirational and enlightening essay. When are we going to realize that we are only a part of the whole earth, but we can do unmitigable damage that lasts forever? All in the name of what exactly? Nothing that will last nearly as long that’s for sure!
May 27th, 2012 at 11:46 pm
Thank you for doing this. I e-mailed my MP and am sharing this.
May 28th, 2012 at 12:16 am
From one busy beaver to another – Thanks for doing this!
May 28th, 2012 at 2:13 am
A gift. Truly a gift. Thank you.
May 28th, 2012 at 9:44 am
Thanks Franke for the “outsider” radical artistic perception and burning questions that are so needed in this debate. As McLuhan said: We have all the answers, what are the questions? Love and light to you! Never stop drawing on it and drawing for us!
May 28th, 2012 at 10:45 am
Thank you for guiding us on how to take positive political action!
May 28th, 2012 at 10:47 am
Well done, Franke! Thank you so very much. I added a personal note to my MP Joe Preston.
Mr. Preston, some friends and I would like to meet with you to discuss Bill C-38. Are you available during the next week in your constituency office in St. Thomas? If not, we can arrange a conference call. I will appreciate a reply as soon as possible. I hope you aren’t afraid to talk to us. We are actually NICE Canadians that just happen to want to preserve both our democracy and the environment.
May 28th, 2012 at 11:21 am
Great Work! Thanks for making this and sending it to me.
May 28th, 2012 at 11:34 am
Beautifully done! I emailed my MP and the Conservative MP one ward over. Thank you for putting you time and care in delivering this message so informatively and creatively.
May 28th, 2012 at 12:42 pm
Cartoon format!! Why didn’t we think of this before? And if they don’t “get” this, maybe stick figures will work! Well done, Franke! I have posted about it on our website.
May 28th, 2012 at 12:42 pm
I really think you have hit the nail on the head with this. Canadians ARE waking up and we’re mad as hell and not going to take it anymore!!!!
An informed electorate his Harperlands worst nightmare.
Montreal is so much more than tuition fee’s and it’s spreading across the country.
May 28th, 2012 at 12:44 pm
This is a great thing that you’ve done Franke but I fear it will fall on deaf ears. The problem of greed is so rampant throughout the world and the right thing rarely gets done when these kinds of dollar amounts are attached. I have emailed this and called my MP’s office regarding this issue but she (“DR.” Kellie Leitch) has a proven track record of standing behind the Harper government no matter how strong of a case you present. It is so rare to have 1 MP do the right thing and separate from the party let alone 13. The fundamental problem is our system of 1 party (or 1 person) being able to make these types of decisions that will adversely affect the country as a whole. The harmful effects of these decisions are generational and I fear what future generations will think of us for not doing more to prevent these greedy decisions. We need to do more than just write letters. We need to march together as a nation on Parliament Hill and demand satisfaction and if they dont listen then throw them out on their collective asses. This is the only way true progress can be accomplished as seen in recent (and past) events around the world. I truly appreciate the attention your emails bring to this and other issues however we cant rely solely on writing letters. We need to get off the safety of our chairs and gather together to have any hope of changing things. Please keep up the good work and lets move to the next crucial step to be able to look in the mirror with pride.
May 28th, 2012 at 1:15 pm
What a very good message… I totally agree. I have emailed my local MP.. I will urge all of my friends on Facebook to do the same.. Thank you for your time and efforts in putting together the message.
May 28th, 2012 at 1:37 pm
Great effort here, I emailed my MP… but it appears we are crying into the wilderness, our cries are falling on deaf ears. Harper is not my Prime Minister as he and other conservatives lied and cheated at the polls, how can we trust him to run our country? His recent actions prove that he is out to destroy this beautiful country of ours… We need to rid ourselves of this “PARIAH”.
May 28th, 2012 at 2:00 pm
Harper is but a part of a global power structure fighting with significant resources to hang onto a paradigm, no longer viable, that is rooted in an economic system of exploitation and competition. This Dinosaur, though dying… in it’s death throes is still powerful enough to wreak havoc with humanity and the planet. All we can do is gather our kin, keep our hearts open and try to stay clear of fear in the face of so much to be afraid of. Thank you for all your valiant, loving efforts.
May 28th, 2012 at 2:55 pm
Thank you for doing all of the leg work. I sure HOPE many will be sending their email as well. Keep up the great work. Thanks again.
May 28th, 2012 at 3:30 pm
You’ve obviously put a lot of effort and energy into this message, and for that I commend you. I have sent it on to my member of parliament, Mr James Lunney, whom I understand is in favour of this bassackwards way of boosting the economy of ‘certain parts” of the country (not British Columbia!!!)
Who knows…perhaps he will develop a backbone and stand up for what is right. One can always hope.
May 28th, 2012 at 4:12 pm
Franke, you rock. This is fantastic. Great work.
May 28th, 2012 at 5:15 pm
…and the Arts saved the world, not finance nor politics…!
Thank YOU!!
May 28th, 2012 at 5:23 pm
Great work! I just emailed my MP. I cannot believe that as a parent as well, Harper is happy with leaving this earth in shambles not only for our kids but his as well. No soul.
May 28th, 2012 at 6:08 pm
thank you for making it so easy to say something. It’s hard to take action and I’m glad you are advocating for this cause.
May 28th, 2012 at 6:37 pm
Franke your graphic art is a powerful way of telling the story of what Harper and Co. are doing. Thanks.
I’ve come to the realization that there is a “Harper Government,” as so often it is referred to. But it is NOT the Canadian Government as the Canadian Government is composed of ALL the MPs regardless of their party affiliation. This is an important distinction, one I would like to see promoted. I think it is time to take back the Government and make it Canadian once again.
May 28th, 2012 at 6:44 pm
Thank you for a concise to the point message that is easy for EVERYONE to understand and hope it will be just as easy for our elected officials. Thank you for making the page drop dead easy for every Canadian to write to their MP RIGHT NOW!
So now it’s time for me to share this message with every single contact I have. I hope it’s just as easy to do that
You so rock!
May 28th, 2012 at 6:55 pm
I am Confused…..I followed the directions re: mailing my MP, James Lunney only to find it has been forwarded to the Leader of the Opposition Thomas Mulcair…anyone else got the same problem?
May 28th, 2012 at 6:56 pm
Bill,
All of the party leaders are cc’d on the letters. I am cc’d too.
Franke
May 28th, 2012 at 6:58 pm
Thank you Franke. The only thing not mentioned so far is that the CON government is being controlled by the Chinese government, so that in the name of money (“the economy”), all these moves are to satisfy a larger corporation. Many responses have suggested that we need to go beyond writing letters. I would suggest that if we write the Conservative MPs and also the BC government, and encourage those who do not agree with the direction their party whips are forcing them to go, that if they will go independent, and support those citizens who are fighting to preserve the pride and reputation of our wonderful Canada, that their electors will continue to support them and true justice will be served.
May 28th, 2012 at 7:15 pm
I’m so happy to see your educational, factual and amusing presentation…. it seems that this issue is bringing Canadians together to speak to each other about what and how our so called “government” is trying to pull the wool over our eyes. I think many of us are catching on to their agenda, and the TarSands/Pipeline is uniting us in ways they could never have predicted.
Thank you for your caring and talent.
May 28th, 2012 at 7:48 pm
Excellent job! <3
May 28th, 2012 at 7:54 pm
This is crucial we take action…any action! There is no such thing as sitting on the fence when it comes to protecting the source of our own health and well-being. We kill the earth…. we kill ourselves!
May 28th, 2012 at 7:57 pm
[To my MP] Mr. J. Comartin, please tell Mr. Harper to get out of bed and stop sleeping with the Corporations that could not care less about the people of this country or any other country for that matter. Have some pride in this country. This land, that was a beacon of light to many other countries that envied our glorious gifts, resources and pristine vitas! Do ‘YOU’ wish to be held responsible for such blatant rape?
May 28th, 2012 at 8:29 pm
Any time any government squashes, squelches, or otherwise silences some “independent studies” while endorsing others the general public can be certain that big business – in this case the oil industry- is behind it. This is not conspiracy theory, it is observation over time. To think that the Canadian government is stooping so low as to be paid off by oil companies is a disgusting and disturbing testimony to the fact that those who “lead” our country are incapable of discovering a healthy means of pulling our country out of the financial quagmire that preceding governments have placed us in…oh wait…that would be Harper too… nevermind.
Keep up the good fight, Franke
May 28th, 2012 at 9:01 pm
Thank you Franke for creating this page. Have sent an email to my MP and will share online as well. It will take decades to undo the damage this majority government is doing but we need to start immediately!
May 28th, 2012 at 9:18 pm
Thank you for making this the hardest hitting page I have ever seen regarding what our government (Harper) is doing to the planet. Even conservatives are starting to question this governments agenda and what it will do to this country.
May 28th, 2012 at 10:18 pm
It is completely unfathomable to me that this corrupt, ruthless, completely amoral creature managed to rig the system and convince sufficient people to vote for him that he was elected with a majority. It saddens me that his minions like Joe Oliver and others are forced to formulate hollow non-answers when confronted by others and forced to cover up their unethical actions. These people know that they are completely wrecking the natural environment, and they just don’t care!! Will it be too late by the time people realize what is going on? None of this surprises me in the slightest. Harper will do anything – legal or illegal in order to realize his selfish goals.
May 28th, 2012 at 11:58 pm
It seems like people are starting to wake up and realize that we have a dictatorship in Ottawa. Harper thinks he can do whatever he wants to do. I am so disgusted with this government, they are ruining Canada, generations to come will have to pay for their greed.
We need an uprising in this country, and we need to be out there with the young kids, supporting them and letting the government know that we the people will not stand for the deceit that is so evident with this government right now. Time for them to go. I would like to see the CONS totally dissolved and no longer a party of Canada. Perfect name CONS, because that’s what they are. People do not forget, remember when Mulroney went down, there were only 2 seats left.
We don’t forget, the next time there will be NO seats left.
May 29th, 2012 at 12:05 am
Thanks for the great art.
May 29th, 2012 at 12:05 am
Way to go Franke James!! I’m proud of ya. Ditto with Tim Gorgichuk. We need to march on Parliament Hill.
May 29th, 2012 at 12:34 am
This message is awesome and well put together, loved seeing the references too. My only worry is that it’s still not enough to stop this. When i look at what the students are doing in Quebec, it reassures me that the power is with the people and i just hope this is only the beginning. Just can’t believe people voted for Harper. We face all the risk as British Columbians and Alberta, big oil and the Harper Gov’t receive all the benefits! Its an absolute joke. I feel helpless down in Vancouver, but hopefully our MP’s will listen. I grew up in northern BC and feel detached a bit down here. I just pray we can find a way to stop this. All kinds of wrong written all over it.
May 29th, 2012 at 3:40 am
There is no thought or reasoning behind Harper’s decisions. Water, is the source of all life, and Harper does not care about the environment. When Harper has made decisions that will inevitably contaminate the waters and all forms of life start dying, how will he balance the budget? The Canadians gave the Conservatives the power and now they are destroying all things; environmental regulatory process, freedom of speech, taken away Union Rights ………….. Where is the freedom of being a Canadian Citizen ? China needs our energy, what about the future generations of unborn Canadians? Large Corporations, many foreign investors ……… who gave Harper the right to sell Canadians for the sake of Exporting our Resources only to have it sold back to us?
May 29th, 2012 at 6:49 am
Thank you for creating this excellent essay. Your visuals are very engaging and the ideas are communicated clearly. I’m going to share it with a bunch of people.
May 29th, 2012 at 7:16 am
Great job Franke. Keep it up.
May 29th, 2012 at 7:50 am
The length to which the Prime Minister will go to silence any criticism is astounding. I was deeply saddened to learn that the latest budget announced the end to the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy. I have had the privilege of editing some of its reports over the past decade and can attest to their scientific rigour, impartiality, measured consideration of the issue, and long-term perspective. But the NRTEE’s message was inconvenient, so it had to go. This is another example of the government killing the messenger when it could not control the message.
May 29th, 2012 at 9:05 am
Awesome job Franke, keep up the Great and Honorable work. You are inspiring a nation to fight back at this fraudulent and illegal government.
May 29th, 2012 at 9:12 am
I’m from Denver, Colorado. This site was referred to me by some Canadian friends.
You bet I signed the petition! A line has to be drawn somewhere, and the voice of We the People must be heard! (American reference – sorry…)
Keep fighting!!
****
May 29th, 2012 at 9:15 am
Thanks for this! I live in southwestern Ontario, in an area still containing Carolinian forest cover. I often walk through this forest cover with my 15 year old granddaughter. I wish, with all my heart, that this opportunity, to “walk in the woods”, will still be available to me when my grandson, age four, is a teenager. Please stop the madness.
May 29th, 2012 at 10:25 am
Thanks. during the past 3 or so years, the Harper Gov. has become more fascist than any other Gov. in Canadian history. He surrounds himself in secrecy, even from his own ministers and controls every decision and demands total power over every issue that comes to his Gov.. He refuses to give authority to his backbenchers and they aren’t allowed access to anything substantial. Harper has all info on each issue bound in secrecy not only from his backbenchers but most if not all his ministers. I dont understand how his Gov. can do their work. Like all good fascists Harper demands everyone just do exactly what he says. Furthermore, the last election was bound in fear and most senior citizens voted not for the person of their choice but rather for someone Harper told them to vote for, or else there would disaster. That kind of election is deplorable and should be against the law.There were so many excellent members of parliament who were defeated unjustly and now who are so dearly needed. May I suggest that you can reach Harpers E mail site (check Canadian Gov..ca) for his address and E mail him giving him your views and fears of the direction he is taking the Canadian people. Thanks
May 29th, 2012 at 11:00 am
As I shared with my MP when I signed and sent him your graphic essay, Franke – I wish I believed any of what you, and other inspiring Canadians, are doing would make a difference. I despise the fact politics has made me so deeply cynical.
May 29th, 2012 at 11:00 am
Franke. I can’t thank you enough for the excellent job you have done exposing these idiots. I am ready to march with you to Parliament. Please keep me posted.
May 29th, 2012 at 11:36 am
Steve,
Thanks for your comment. All of the letters sent to the MPs are cc’d to Harper — and the other party leaders (Mulcair, May and Rae.) Over 2500 letters have been sent so far, so Harper will definitely get the message — however we need to keep the letters coming — so please spread the word.
Franke
May 29th, 2012 at 11:39 am
Canadians voted Mr. Harper and the Conservatives into power and gave him a majority government … He and his party is a manifestation of the wishes and values of those voters. It is too easy to continue blaming our leaders.
This is the time for all people to reflect on why human beings have created such disruption on our planet. There is something fundamentally off kilter when “in the blink of an eye” the choices and actions of one species has disrupted the exquisite planetary balance that evolution has taken millions of years to arrive at. We all need to question our fundamentals “What is truly important to me and my future generations?” and be willing to do what it takes to attain that equilibrium. We need to find a way of being and living on this planet that brings us back into alignment with all other living systems … where our intake and out put are equal and we are not using more than our share of resources to the detriment of other fellow creatures and ecosystems. We need to each become self aware and understand how we are each in our own small way either part of the problem or part of the solution.
May 29th, 2012 at 11:47 am
In my Dene language we say Mussi Cho, which means Big Thanks. This is an amazing post that speaks straight to my Dene Heart. I commit to passing this along to as many people as I can for as long as I can. I hope that all Canadians wake up and stand up to this crime being perpetuated daily and openly on a global scale. As Native people, we are taught from birth to respect and honor Mother Earth. It is my hope that ALL people stand together in her defense. United we Stand…divided we fall.
May 29th, 2012 at 12:01 pm
I did not vote for Harper’s party. I will not ever vote for any party who is slowly selling out my country. They are taking away all freedom from us the people. Why are you in bed with China.. a communist country who only want to eventually take my country over? My wish is for Harper’s so called government to resign. We will not stop in our endeavor to stop killing wildlife, poisoning our waters and taking away what little freedom we have. We will revolt!
May 29th, 2012 at 12:14 pm
Hi Franke,
Joey O. is my MP too. Heaven help us…
May 29th, 2012 at 12:32 pm
I think the only way to get Harper to step down, is to find the Conservative M.P’s that are not afraid to speak out. Surely, there are a few of you that are not afraid of Harper’s hoods. C’mon now, Do you think so little of your kids and grandkids, and their kids, that you will hide and do nothing about the total ruination of Our Canada? Is the thought of belonging to This cabinet something that gives you pride? Are you proud of being affiliated with the Government that is destroying Canada’s environment? Get off your knees and stop genuflecting to Steven Harper! Get some guts and stand up for Canadians AND Canada. Between the destructive new budget, the Oil sands, the loss of thousands of jobs, the cuts to pensions, the damaging changes to EI, the “super prison ideology” that even the U.S. is abandoning. The closure of productive prison farms. The suppression of leading scientists opinions. The secrecy and total disregard of the Canadian people’s wishes! I could go on and on, but who cares? Stand up and be counted – Liberal, Conservative, N.D.P., Green Party, GOD HELP US IF HARPER ISN’T BEAT IN THE NEXT ELECTION! But even that might be too little , too late.
May 29th, 2012 at 1:04 pm
This is fantastic! Thank you so much for such a creative way of getting at the truth.
Aaron White,
North Vancouver
May 29th, 2012 at 1:33 pm
I no longer recognize my adopted country.
SOMETHING must be done before its too late to reverse the damage created by the Conservative government.
May 29th, 2012 at 3:23 pm
Thank you Franke. So many people want to do something about this but don’t know where to start. Thank you, this will help a lot.
May 29th, 2012 at 4:04 pm
Men like Harper and Oliver are all over the world..they are empty suits controlled by corporations. We have them here in Aust also and they are getting more and more dangerous to our planet. They are not very bright and are easily manipulated when given power.
May 29th, 2012 at 6:28 pm
Thank you for putting this together. He even sounds like a puppet!
May 29th, 2012 at 8:42 pm
I think it is time for Canadians to realize that it is US who have the power to stop the pollution going from the tar sands. Speak up, voice your concerns to the government and let’s get them working on a solution to this HUGE problem!
May 29th, 2012 at 9:17 pm
Thank for putting this together so that I can share it and remind Canadians that we can’t afford to be complacent about the damage this government is doing to the environment and to so many wonderful aspects of our society.
May 29th, 2012 at 9:42 pm
So let us pose the question…why IS money so important to this Conservative government while the environment does not even get a back seat? Or is it? Could it be part of another more sinister agenda? One that, when you connect the dots and include foreign policy matters, you see an agenda that perhaps includes the misguided notion that we can hasten the return of Jesus Christ by creating a world where disaster after disaster becomes the new paradigm in hopes that He will clean up the mess that we have left behind. I believe that this dangerous path of trying to speed up Armageddon lies at the heart of all these horrible and misguided policy decisions. Otherwise why would these decisions be made? It flies in the face of reason. I am disgusted and ashamed of my government.
May 29th, 2012 at 10:01 pm
Amazing. Thank you so much for this. I’m starting to feel hopeful that together, maybe we can do something about this situation.
May 29th, 2012 at 11:17 pm
Let’s get a ground swell of a wave moving against this government that will stop them cold. If they don’t listen to the science involved, maybe they will listen to civil disobedience of such a scale that will shake HARPER’S world to the core and demonstrate his mandate to destroy environments is nonexistent.
May 30th, 2012 at 1:07 am
What a unique and powerful way of presenting the facts. Thank-you, on behalf of all Canadians, for doing this for us. Harper and his criminal conspirators must go.
May 30th, 2012 at 1:27 am
This government has run wild with intent to harm Canada worse than any disaster to date. I cannot see how any human with a brain or a heart can possibly do this. It certainly begs the question how many Canadians must be asleep at the wheel to allow it. Please Canada, wake up and notice who is calling these shots… We are letting this happen, and this is totally unacceptable given how much is known about the consequences…vote these people out, or create such a “ground swell” like Dennis said….we need to fight for our planet, we have to be the solution…
May 30th, 2012 at 1:29 am
Thank you for taking our collective concerns and giving them voice and vision much better than many of us can. I signed and am forwarding it on and on and on…. We have to keep on keeping on … We have to.
May 30th, 2012 at 4:12 am
I live in Seattle now but hope to soon return home to Canada. I sail every summer in the waters of Northern British Columbia. Please don’t risk destroying one of the most beautiful places on this Earth.
May 30th, 2012 at 6:37 am
The science base must be restored to this country, without it civilization will not move beyond tribal and secular coflicts, with gated communities. Lack of or no science will be and is a backward step into the dark ages. Without good sciece this country will lose its place as a modle of what the world would like to be. We have that influence, lets not lose it.
May 30th, 2012 at 5:07 pm
I am overjoyed to see that people are speaking out and going viral about what this government is doing to our beautiful country, Canada. Unfortunately, I have John Baird as my MP and although i spoke out against his policies when he came campaigning, I felt I was talking to a wall of indifference. I do everything in my own life to help preserve our environment but I feel my impact is of no consequence when I look at what the government is doing. We need to bring this government down on the issue of secrecy and environmental concerns but how can we do it? Apparently a recent poll still puts the Conservatives in the lead if there was an election today. I refuse to believe that the Canadian public is that stupid. They must just have their heads in the sand? I am totally frustrated, appalled and afraid for our childrens future.
May 30th, 2012 at 6:11 pm
Did not wish to send the email to my MP, Joyce Murray, as she is an environmentalist already. I decided to annoy Stephen Harper, so I clicked “do not live in Canada” in order to do so. Sent this link to Joyce Murray for her amusement if she had not seen it already.
May 31st, 2012 at 1:33 am
This is an excellent piece of work. I’ve shared it on Facebook and have sent the letter.
Note that the tactics used by the Conservatives against environmentalists are very reminiscent of a totalitarian propaganda technique called “The Big Lie”. This Wikipedia entry sums it up nicely.
In particular, take a look at the extract from the OSS (now CIA) psychological assessment of Hitler, and ask which contemporary Canadian politician fits the description best.
Best wishes.
John
May 31st, 2012 at 1:42 am
I really hope that the pipeline can be stopped. I am so sick of Harperism destroying this country and muddying up our good name. from dropping out of Kyoto to his lack of respect for unions to the joke that this green incentives he has which only the big polluters are getting anything out of it. what a waste of tax payer dollars it has been to keep him and his yes men in power. I could not believe my eyes last election when this useless, arrogant, excuse of a Canadian got back in power, WAKE UP CANADA! It makes me crazy that such Bush like tactics are accepted and that the Canadian population doesn’t just push him out of office. Enough is enough!
A big THANK YOU to Franke James for putting this message together. I hope we can make a change for the better!
May 31st, 2012 at 9:39 am
Amazing work. Your message is more powerful than any parliament gathering would care to admit. There is a great travesty being allowed in our country and it must be stopped. Trying to stay informed and stay away from oil produced products is a hard job for anyone. I think the waste is what bothers us most. While natural lifeforms are dying so we can produce better plastics, the Prime Minister and his ministers are criticizing any average citizen who speaks against this toxifying environmental ignorance. We need to squash this money making scheme and find a way to reverse or at least try to reduce the damage. Humans only see when they have experienced loss. When we have lost everything then we will know. Waste is what we are producing in a BIG way. It is time to halt production of the non essential and start finding ways of nurturing again before it is too late… Great work Franke. Give them hell.
May 31st, 2012 at 9:56 am
What amazes me is that the Conservative caucus still supports this tyranny. I would have thought that even conservatives would see what is happening and push back. Unfortunately, Harper has succeeded in convincing far too many people that the economy (ie, personal greed) is far more important than the future that our children must live in. History will not be kind to Canada if we allow this to continue.
May 31st, 2012 at 12:50 pm
This is MY Province, and a whole lot of other citizens of BC don’t want our land spoiled, or our ocean polluted, so, NO PIPELINE!!!
May 31st, 2012 at 1:15 pm
So proud YOU’RE Canadian. It’s great to have someone put together the words and phrases milling about our heads and PIPELINE them into the ears of those who need to hear it. TY so much! Very Fun and punchy. Loved it.
May 31st, 2012 at 1:15 pm
I’m afraid that we’ll make OUR Country like the USA, dirty and environmentally distroyed. But look how rich the politicians are!
May 31st, 2012 at 5:35 pm
If it were not for the censure for Croatia, my native land, I wouldn’t have known about you, although I reside in North York too. I enjoyed every detail in your painting essays and have become your fan already! Very truthful, passionate and compassionate. Way to go! I am on your side!
May 31st, 2012 at 8:44 pm
Brilliant analysis and art form. thanks
May 31st, 2012 at 10:34 pm
Awesome way of explaining the problem in a clear and entertaining way, Franke. I am forwarding this not to just “the choir”, but to EVERYONE on my contacts list. We Beavers must stand up for our rights! NO PIPELINE!!! And, hey, all you other Beavers, please support the Council of Canadians. They are an independant citizen’s group advocating on behalf of all Canadians to protect our environment, universal health care, clean water, energy security, pensions and so much more. (http://www.canadians.org) Thank you.
June 1st, 2012 at 1:28 am
All my love and respect. You have a loving soul much needed in these dark days. Souls like yours are the reason we will win this fight. Light always trumps darkness, it’s the natural order. Love and Peace.
June 1st, 2012 at 8:12 am
Wanted to say thanks for this, and all you do.
More generally – I strongly suspect that this is no longer a question of how many future generations will have to suffer before whatever remains of nature recovers.
Life on this planet is under genetic as well as toxic assault by petrochemicals as well as GM contagion, and I wonder how long we, and other animals, will be able to breed true and/or have the capacity to produce (superficially) healthy young…
If democracy is not reclaimed by the people now, and industry not eliminated from governance and adequately regulated, I fear that anyone alive in 10-20 years may be very unhappy that they have survived…
We do not elect dictators in our various democracies – any public servant who fails to act in the interest of the public and country their office exists to serve does not merit that office, and those who betray their office/people/country in such manner, especially when callously damaging and/or destroying human and environmental health and life, must be immediately removed from that office they have betrayed and should be charged at a higher degree of culpability for injuries/illness, damage and deaths occurring under destructive policies that could reasonably be expected to have such results, than would any individual doing so, yet not betraying the public trust in that manner.
Had we in our various democracies done this sooner, with previous administrations, we would not now be suffering the degree of irreparable harm now accumulated.
June 1st, 2012 at 9:48 am
Excellent illustrated essay – thank you for your hard work and creativity!
June 1st, 2012 at 1:19 pm
Dear Franke, I was deeply moved by your work and your passion. I have just written to my MP and will distribute it further. Please keep up your amazing work! Thank you.
June 1st, 2012 at 4:40 pm
Thank you for your work. I would love to see you do something about asbestos, for Canada is truly becoming a pariah on the world stage by not banning the export and use of it. Please visit http://www.asbestos.cattran.ca to learn more about what we are doing to try to stop this criminal act. Harper needs to wake up!
June 1st, 2012 at 7:37 pm
We all knew that when Harper was elected with a majority government that his true colors would come out … the first step was backing out of the Kyoto Accord. That is shameful to me as a Canadian who believes in honoring commitments.
June 2nd, 2012 at 11:16 pm
Merci de défendre ainsi l’environnement. / Thank you for caring about our environment.