A Commentary courtesy of Maude Barlow and the Council of Canadians
Canadian taxpayer dollars slated for fighter jets demonstrates Prime Minister Stephen Harper is “not” here for Canadian interests or the environment, says the Council of Canadians. 
“For the cost of 10 fighter jets, the Canadian government could power a million homes on green electricity,” says Andrea Harden-Donahue, Energy and Climate Justice Campaigner with the Council of Canadians.
This comparison is based on estimates of fighter jet costs (ranging into the billions of dollars) from the Pentagon contrasted to the money invested in the federal EcoENERGY Renewable Power program that had the objective of powering one million homes.1 Factoring in the estimated lifetime costs of maintaining a fighter jet, it only takes three to cover the costs of the program.
The Council of Canadians contends that this comparison is particularly pertinent given the failure of the federal government to extend funding for this critical program in the proposed 2011 budget.
“The Harper government’s spending on fighter jets is way out of line with the priorities of Canadians,” adds Harden-Donahue. “By investing in areas such as improving energy efficiency, renewable energy and public transit, emissions could be reduced and thousands of greens jobs created.”
According to a recent Environics Research poll3, over 70 percent of Canadians agreed that money spent on wars and the military would be better spent on efforts that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the impacts of climate change. The poll also found that over 80 percent of Canadians believe the Canadian government should invest in “green jobs” and transition programs for workers and communities negatively affected by a shift off of fossil fuels.
The Council of Canadians is an Ottawa-based, not-for-profit citizens group, with chapters in Niagara and many other regions across the country dedicated, in the organization’s words, “to bringing Canadians together to act for social, economic ane environmental justice here in Canada and around the world. Maude Barlow is the Council’s national chairperson, an best-selling author and recipient of numerous humanitarian and environmental awards.
Visit the Council of Canadian’s website at www.canadiians.org and click on the following link for a Youtube piece on Maude Barlow’, expressing her views on what is at stake in this Canadian federal election – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueixe7SIF70&feature=player_embedded
(Last but not least, share your comments on this topic below and visit Niagara At Large at www.niagaraatlarge.com for more news and commentary on matters of interest and concern to our greater Niagara region and beyond.)
Niagara At Large 
The biggest problem with the plane deal is, it is like buying a pig in a poke, the cost is unknown even to the US government, US law says any US built plane cannot be sold for less than that sold to the US military, and it is not yet fuuly developed, and Harper wan’ts this deal? it is loco for sure.The Harper Government is not interested in cleaning up the Great Lakes, it is at the tipping point the toxins and pollution is at a crisis stage already, thousands of birds are washing up onto the shores of Lake Erie, 9 trillion quagga mussels in lake Michigan alone , as they filter the water of toxins the fish eat the mussels and in turn the birds eat the poisonous shellfish and die. this is the canary in the mineshaft. The city of Toledo Ohio is dredging their harbour the stuff is so toxic they can’t landfill it, so the barges go further out into Lake Erie and dump it out there.we drink this poison cocktail via the Niagara River through the Chippawa Water Plant.
LikeLike
Maude Barlow makes a very wise observation. Hopefully the opposition candidates will pick up on this.
LikeLike
I hope Harper gets a majority. Then, in four years time, the stupid majority that voted for him now, will desperately vote against him, together with the
other non-conservative voters. In 2015 or 16, there won’t be a single conservative representative in Parliament, and by then, maybe, just maybe, Elizabeth May will be permitted to join debates, and there’ll be a few greens
in parliament. John Barta
LikeLike
Not surprising that the SUN Media owned Welland Tribune newspaper failed to point out the irony of PM Harper riding a John Deere ATV.
LikeLike
I didn’t realize that it was a John Deere ATV — thanks, Mark. I was too busy wondering just how much condescension the Welland riding is prepared to take from the Prime Minister. Does he really think we’re nothing but a bunch of yokels down here??
Guess what, Stevie-boy: this riding is more diverse than your party hacks think it is. I guess it just goes to show how little time and effort the Tories are prepared to put into their campaign in this riding.
As for the so-called “Welland” daily–wouldn’t it be nice to see an article on the federal campaign written by a reporter who is actually familiar with Welland and the Welland riding? Just once?
LikeLike
None of Stephen Harper’s platform relates to my needs as an individual or my family. I don’t make more than $90,000 a year as a single earner, as many in Niagara as well, so I will not benefit one iota from income splitting. Anybody who is a single earner that earns less than $50,000 a year will find they net ZERO benefit from this initiative, but if you made between $90,000 a year and $120,000 you can get at least $1,400 back in your taxes. That’s Harper’s base, not mine. His decision to spend at least $30 billion on fighter jets, $1 billion on G20 fiascos, and doing stupid things like dumping the long form Census (so this party can continue to convince Canadians that the poverty rate is declining when it really isn’t), among other disinformation campaigns, are other irritants … I wonder how many social programs, health care beds, educational spots, etc. the government will have to cut to pay for these rich tax cuts, fighter jets, etc. while there are a considerable number of other priorities in this country.
LikeLike