Weekend with Al Gore
Not long ago, if someone would have asked if I would like to spend a weekend with Nobel Prize winner Al Gore, I would have thought it impossible. But that's exactly what happened last weekend in Montreal, as I spent the entire three days locked in training with 200 other Canadians, under the intense scrutiny of the former vice-president.
Most folks with remember that the environment and climate change became the focal point of my by-election victory over a year ago now and my desire to be active on that file has continued. I am a member of the Liberal Environment and Sustainability Committee and recently encouraged Stephane Dion and other leaders in the party to make the environment our key issue in the next election campaign.
Mr. Gore led every session, going through each of the slides in his famous Inconvenient Truth slideshow and taking us through the science of certain portions of his presentation. It's been over a year since his famous film came out, winning the Academy Award, and new scientific evidence has emerged affirming the reality the our greenhouse gas emissions are slowly gripping this planet by the throat.
What surprised everyone in the sessions was Mr. Gore's delightful sense of humor. Numerous times over the weekend he had all the attendees cracking up with laughter. Yet we all understood that the subject of our deliberations - global warming - was so serious that unless something is done immediately, there will be serious consequences, not just for our children or grandchildren, but in our own lifetime.
With the sessions finished, I now possess a cherished certificate signed by Mr. Gore himself and stating that I am one of his key Canadian presenters. And yet in many ways I hardly feel qualified. The science around global warming is layered and complex and the legislative choices facing provinces and federal members of parliament are serious indeed. Nevertheless, anything of great importance starts with a commitment to act and not just wait until we are masters of any file.
And this is what I pledge to do. Along with my wife Jane, we will build the lessons learned from this weekend into our presentations on child poverty, coming Canadian challenges, Canada's image overseas, etc. In the coming months I'll be making the Inconvenient Truth presentation to numerous groups in and around London, using the valuable tools provided this last weekend.
Each one of us bears a responsibility to speak out about important issues to our generation. This past weekend with Al Gore, while a wonderful privilege, is nevertheless weighing heavy on me, as I seek to fulfill an election promise in a way that will move Londoners to act in ways that are both timely and innovative.