The Agenda of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM)--touted as "the national voice of municipal government since 1901," has taken a sharp turn to the left.
With elections slated for later this month in Banff, it is unlikely that many rural mayors and councillors of the almost 4,000 Canadian municipalities are even aware that their federation's agenda has been quietly hijacked by the far left, at both political and administrative levels.
FCM, whose founding mission was "dedicated to improving the quality of life in all communities by promoting strong, effective and accountable municipal government," is well on its way into an agenda dominated by left-wing 'green' politics.
Poised to take over the presidency of the federation in Banff elections, Toronto New Democratic Party (NDP) Councillor Jack Layton seems headed for a shoo-in.
Should he succeed, the leader of the City of Toronto's municipal left-wing faction, will become the crown prince of a $125-million, revolving, taxpayer-funded empire--which, according to FCM literature will "operate at arm's length of the Government of Canada."
There are rumours that Layton may be using FCM presidency as a key platform to run for the leadership of the federal NDP. It is unlikely some of the federation's rural members would approve of his obsession for a left-wing agenda at Toronto City Hall. Unabashedly anti-cop and linch-pin in Toronto losing the 1996 Toronto Olympic bid, Layton remains close friends with former fellow city councillor Peter Tabuns, who led the Harvey Hamburger boycott; was the catalyst behind banning the circus from coming to town in Toronto and who currently serves as Executive Director of Greenpeace Canada.At FCM, Layton's administrative counterpart is Louise Comeau, Director, Sustainable Communities and Environmental Policy.
How far left is Comeau?
Well, according to Elizabeth May, Sierra Club of Canada Executive director, "She (Comeau) is the most influential climate activist in Canada."
"If you ask anyone in government or industry who is behind the pressure on government to deal with climate change, they'd just say Louise--they wouldn't even use her last name."
The $125-million given to the FCM, "which has a heavy emphasis on 'green infrastructure', came from the 2000 federal budget.
As FCM manager of the Sustainable Communities Program and Senior Policy Analyst on environmental issues, Comeau is responsible for FCM initiatives aimed at increasing community sustainability, including the Partners for Climate Protection, Municipal Building Retrofit, Active Transportation, Community Energy Systems, Energy Efficiency and Alternative Energy and Green Infrastructure programs.
With her extensive experience in areas such as the science of the domestic international climate change policy, Comeau also analyzes the impact of federal legislation on communities--air quality (particularly smog), toxins, species at risk and waste minimization.
Like many left-wing activists working in environmental pressure groups, Ms. Comeau has no education degree in the fields of climate change and/or endangered animal species.
Prior to joining the FCM in 1998, Ms. Comeau worked in marketing, public relations and communications in the public and private sectors, positions that included directing the climate change campaigns at Friends of the Earth and the Sierra Club of Canada.
A diehard Layton loyalist, she told delegates at a 2000 industry workshop that getting 'Layton elected to the FCM presidency' was 'everything'.
At last February's first annual Sustainable Communities Conference and Trade Show in Ottawa, the charismatic Layton urged everyone to think of themselves as 'catalytic agents who can create opportunities and political change at points of crisis that pave the way for collective action.'
'Like the characters in Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels, "Lilliputianism" can be powerful,' Layton said."It's all about timing and creating these bifurcation moments. Then move in as a catalyst would and make sure the right thing happens."
Friends and foes alike admit that Comeau's talents in lobbying and getting government money is "positively awesome."
The activist hit the mother lode when she swung federal Finance Minister Paul Martin on side.
At a parliament hill reception following the FCM endowment, Martin stressed the influence FCM's submission had on last year's federal budget, which allocated federal resources to the Green Investment and Green Enabling Funds.
Indeed, Martin liked the ideas so much he presented them as his own: "It's overwhelmingly the most focused, the most comprehensive and the best presentation I have seen as Minister of Finance. It was that presentation that allowed me, when I went through the budget, to stand up and tell the Canadian people that it was my idea."
"Environmental spending is clearly a priority for Canadians and the fact that only seven weeks following the mini-budget, a general election returned the government with a majority suggests that Canadians were satisfied with our approach," Martin's Communications Director Scott Reid, told Toronto Free Press. "Certainly the response in Toronto was well received, with the election of all GTA members to the government caucus."
The $125-million endowment to the FCM is to create two complementary funds 'to help municipalities take action in improving the Eco-efficiency of their operations. The funds will leverage matching contributions and investments from municipal, provincial and territorial governments as well as increase public-private partnerships. In addition, interest from the investment of the capital would be used to support innovative pilot projects.'
The $100-million Green Municipal Investment Fund will provide loans and loan guarantees to enable recipients to carry out projects based on energy audits and feasibility studies.
The $25-million Green Municipal Enabling Fund is a five-year fund that will provide grants to cost-share energy audits and feasibility studies on projects designed to reduce GHG emissions through improved energy efficiency and the sustainable use of renewable and non-renewable resources, as well as improving air and water quality.
Among the first 12 projects to get Green Municipal Enabling Money was $13,000 to New Westminster, B.C. "to conduct a green review of its new fire hall and administrative centre. The review will study ways to protect habitat, conserve resources and develop a computerized energy model to estimate pollutant emissions and operating costs."
The greening of policy, as outlined in the FCM Policy Development Book to be presented to delegates in Banff, confirms the shift to the left of the federation agenda.
"The FCM will urge municipal governments, through their own operations and policies, to support the principles and agreements adopted at the 1992 Earth Summit, as well as the framework Convention on Climate Change, the 1997 Kyoto Protocol and the Biodiversity Convention."
"Think Globally, Act Locally" is the theme, with environmental issues, such as Climate Change, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Pesticides and Endangered Species Legislation topping the list
Canada Free Press founding editor Most recent by Judi McLeod is an award-winning journalist with 30 years experience in the print media. Her work has appeared on Newsmax.com, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com, Glenn Beck. Judi can be reached at: judi@canadafreepress.com
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