The Oldest Trick in the Book
Perhaps it wasn’t the oldest trick in the book, but it was a classic play.
Federal Environment Minister, Rona Ambrose, who qualifies as the most regressive of any environmental official ever, and has gutted Canada’s plans to achieve our commitments under the Kyoto Protocol, was in Edmonton this afternoon to launch National Clean Air Day.
Rona was to arrive at the event at the southern most station of Edmonton’s light rail transit system (LRT) aboard a charter train car. Equipped with our signs and banners and megaphones, we waited for her in a steadily increasing spring rain. The ceremonies proper were going to be held at the Jubilee Auditorium and two ETS buses idled nearby to take all the officials from the station to the auditorium. Between the station and the buses, we gathered.
The train arrived and a procession of officials led by 9 bagpipers disembarked. People started chanting. I started shouting. Out of real anger. “Stop lying about Kyoto!” But I couldn’t actually see her.
The pipers led the way through our gauntlet of protest to the buses. Officials passed and passed and passed, and then ended, without Rona ever coming into view. At the end of the platform, obscured from our sight-lines, where everyone else turned left toward the buses, Rona turned right into a waiting vehicle and sped off to the auditorium where she made a speech, then left, refusing to take any questions from reporters.
I felt outsmarted. Of course she’d do that. Members of the Harper government won’t even do media scrums let alone wade through a crowd of angry people - including one shouting ‘you’re worse than Bush!’ because even George w. Bush didn’t cancel the Energy Star Program for Homes.
The event was strange for me for the number of people I knew in the crowd of protestors and in the crowd of people standing on the LRT platform ready to receive the Minister. In fact, I’d actually received an invitation to the event but, this time, I had to protest it instead. Rona Ambrose ….
Global News ran the story at 6 o’clock and included a clip of the opening line of Rona’s speech, “I hope the people outside will channel their passion into cheering on the Oilers tonight.”
A friend of mine took these phone photos from the LRT platform. I’ll give him anonymous credit for the time being.
Federal Environment Minister, Rona Ambrose, who qualifies as the most regressive of any environmental official ever, and has gutted Canada’s plans to achieve our commitments under the Kyoto Protocol, was in Edmonton this afternoon to launch National Clean Air Day.
Rona was to arrive at the event at the southern most station of Edmonton’s light rail transit system (LRT) aboard a charter train car. Equipped with our signs and banners and megaphones, we waited for her in a steadily increasing spring rain. The ceremonies proper were going to be held at the Jubilee Auditorium and two ETS buses idled nearby to take all the officials from the station to the auditorium. Between the station and the buses, we gathered.
The train arrived and a procession of officials led by 9 bagpipers disembarked. People started chanting. I started shouting. Out of real anger. “Stop lying about Kyoto!” But I couldn’t actually see her.
The pipers led the way through our gauntlet of protest to the buses. Officials passed and passed and passed, and then ended, without Rona ever coming into view. At the end of the platform, obscured from our sight-lines, where everyone else turned left toward the buses, Rona turned right into a waiting vehicle and sped off to the auditorium where she made a speech, then left, refusing to take any questions from reporters.
I felt outsmarted. Of course she’d do that. Members of the Harper government won’t even do media scrums let alone wade through a crowd of angry people - including one shouting ‘you’re worse than Bush!’ because even George w. Bush didn’t cancel the Energy Star Program for Homes.
The event was strange for me for the number of people I knew in the crowd of protestors and in the crowd of people standing on the LRT platform ready to receive the Minister. In fact, I’d actually received an invitation to the event but, this time, I had to protest it instead. Rona Ambrose ….
Global News ran the story at 6 o’clock and included a clip of the opening line of Rona’s speech, “I hope the people outside will channel their passion into cheering on the Oilers tonight.”
A friend of mine took these phone photos from the LRT platform. I’ll give him anonymous credit for the time being.