Climate change has emerged as the single most important issue of our time, and it is nothing short of baffling that this government has chosen to bury its head in the sand and hope it goes away. Not only has the Harper government ignored the issue, but it has also gone to great lengths to suppress further research and any meaningful remedial or mitigating action. When Stephen Harper took office in 2006, he promised that we would not recognize Canada when he was done with it. He is on-track to keep that promise. For the sake of my grandchildren and all of us Muggles, I hope that Canadians prove him wrong in 2015.

Elizabeth Kubler-Ross wrote a book about the five stages of grief. Denial of inconvenient facts is the first stage. It is followed by anger. Clearly the Conservatives have a deep well from which to draw. Bargaining is the third stage after denial and anger. The problem however is that Mother Nature is indifferent to Prime Ministers. Mother Nature doesn't do Bargaining.

Foreign markets are buying up our resources, corporations are getting rich, and average Canadians are taking on all the risk. Unfortunately, Canada has a poor record of enforcement against oil companies, and prosecutes less than one per cent of environmental violations in the oil sands. Because of changes to the NEB Act last year, Canadians must do tremendous paperwork to have their voices heard, but some are fighting back.

While you're here, can you guys chat up our King Harpernicus regarding environmental issues? Between the tar sands, our positions at international forums, and cuts at Environment Canada, I don't think he's too familiar with the idea.

Oxfam's report is a clarion call to action, especially to Canada, with its impressive wealth but little resolve to deal with hunger's ultimate enemy: climate change.