SoVote

Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 204

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
June 1, 2023 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 204 - Jun/1/23
Mr. Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay (Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, BQ)
  • Jun/1/23 11:56:11 a.m.
  • Watch
Madam Speaker, the dinosaurs are presenting the environmental transition as a cost. It is true that polluting may seem like the profitable option when we look just at the economic indicators. During the rise of globalization and the triumph of neo-liberalism, we were told to forget about national production and buying local and to go global instead. We were told to think about the international division of labour. It was basically a religion. Now we have developing countries specializing in processing electronic waste, which is highly toxic. We can see that those countries are becoming wealthier and that their GDP is increasing. However, what about the hidden costs, such as the future cost of decontaminating groundwater and the effects on health care systems, which are often not very developed, when the workers who handle this waste start to need treatment? Often, those countries do not have very good accounting systems and the costs are really hidden. There are hidden costs behind the growth and economic indicators. Should we completely change our statistical view of the situation?
177 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border