“Plastic waste is one of the greatest environmental challenges facing the world, which is why protecting the marine environment is central to our agenda at the Commonwealth heads of government meeting,” May said in a statement ahead of a Commonwealth summit.
Leaders from the Commonwealth — a network of 53 countries, mostly former British colonies — are meeting in London this week. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is also there and on Thursday was asked if he would join Britain in the ban.
What he says is a whole lotta nuthin'
Here is a closer examination of his capacity for platitudes, still apparently believing that empty words will carry the day:
Meanwhile, regular people are treading with the Prime Minister fears to tread:
Mr. Trudeau can talk all he wants about a "plastics charter." Talk is cheap, and clearly he thinks it is the politically safest route to take.
That is not leadership. It is abject capitulation.
May, however, won't go for a deposit charge on plastic bottles. To Brits that's a deeply alien concept. Still the City of Vancouver finds that plastic straws and stir sticks made up 3% of shoreline litter. That's reason enough to ban them. A ban on all plastic debris, bags included, should be implemented by our provinces. I'm not sure that Trudeau could impose such a thing nationally. Oh damn, did I just give him the benefit of the doubt?
ReplyDeleteHere in Ontario, many municipalities have stores charge a nickel for each plastic bag, which has really facilitated the use of reusable cloth bags. Toronto used to do the same until Rob Ford became mayor and declared an end to 'the war on plastic bags. His successor, John Tory, has not had the courage to reimpose it. So much for that 'world-class city,' eh?
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