Dear Prime Minister Harper,
I understand that you are a very intelligent man. You have your master’s degree in economics, and you play a mean Beatles tune on the piano. And you have worked hard and dedicated yourself to the pursuit of political power. You have been the Prime Minister of Canada for 4 years now, albeit in a minority parliament. You also are the father of 2 children, Benjamin and Rachel.
I would like to talk to you as one parent to another. I love my children dearly, as I’m sure that you love Benjamin and Rachel. There is nothing that most parents wouldn’t do to ensure that their children’s life is a happy, healthy, and secure one. We work to put bread on the table for them, we scrimp and save for their college fund, we drive them to their hockey games and piano lessons, and we encourage them to apply themselves in school to make their future opportunities better. We want the best, because we love them and care deeply about what happens to them.
You have a unique opportunity, Mr. Harper. You are not only a father, you are the Prime Minister of Canada right now. We in Canada, and the rest of the globe, are in a unique position at this moment in history. We are poised on the brink of disaster. This is what the experts – both the climate experts and the Inuit people in the arctic – are telling us. The number 350 is the most important number in the world right now. Yes, even more important than 155, the number of members of parliament required for a majority government. 350 parts per million is the number that scientists tell us is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide in the earth’s atmosphere. Right now we are sitting at 390, and the number is climbing.
There is a big difference between being intelligent and being wise, Mr. Harper. Winning at the political game is possible while losing in a much larger sense. It’s time to set aside political expediency and act to save our children’s futures. While there is still time. For your Benjamin and Rachel, for my Kate and Emma, and for all the other children in Canada and around the world.
