Canada's fall from grace...

Being Canadian is something that one has traditionally been able to be quite proud of. For years Canada has been internationally renowned and applauded for a variety of roles played both domestically and abroad. Canada has consistently ranked among the world's best according to the United Nations Human Development Index. Our education and health care systems along with its overall standard of living have often been the envy of the world. 

Canada has also gained the reputation as being a very "friendly" country. It has had a tendency not to go to war, but more so take the peacekeeping roles through NATO and the UN, such as Romeo Dallaire's heroics in Rwanda or Pearson's Nobel Prize-winning involvement during the Suez Crisis. Its immigration policies are among the most inclusive in the world and it is one of the most diverse countries in the world. Impressively, crime rates are generally quite low and gun usage is restricted to a much greater degree than many comparable countries, such as the U.S.

Canada is also a very rich country. There is no shortage of money in Canada, at least compared to much of the world. All in all, it is one of the most respected countries in the world. But it is becoming painfully clear that such success has come at quite a cost.

Canada has been able to succeed in all of the aforementioned areas at the expense of the environment. Because it is a very resource-dependent country, its economy (and subsequently its ability to afford its famed ventures) has hindered on natural resources, whose development has been less than sustainable. In British Columbia, parts of Ontario and Quebec, the lumber industry has taken a substantial toll on Canada's forests, as clear-cutting practices are quickly diminishing some of Canada's most precious natural areas. The downfall of resource exploitation has already been felt in the Maritimes, as the cod fisheries collapsed decades ago. 

Canada's more modern approach to resource exploitation has been the development of oil and natural gas, most notably in the Alberta Tar Sands. Not only has it contributed significantly to Canada's greenhouse gas emissions, but it has also used a wealth of fresh water resources and its pollution has killed hundreds of birds and is allegedly connected to cancer deaths in nearby communities.

The environmental issues in Canada have historically been overlooked as a mainstream issue, partially because of its once seemingly infinite size of natural areas and poor governmental policies (even the United States has more stringent environmental laws than does Canada). Furthermore, any recognition of these concerns has often been overshadowed by Canada's counter-balancing reputation of being a "friendly" and respected country. Quite similarly to Canada's atrocious treatment of Aboriginal peoples over the past centuries, its embarrassing treatment of the environment has flown under the radar with regards to Canada's international reputation. 

But as environmental issues become increasingly important in the public eye, Canada's relationship to the environment is not so easily overlooked and it is becoming painfully clear that much of the Canadian identity has been built on environmental exploitation. As Canada continues to release huge levels of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, cut down its forests and use up its quickly dwindling fresh water, its internationally renowned reputation may falter, as it has already begun to do (Canada was given the 'Fossil Award' by an environmental group during the Bali negotiations on climate change for its role as the world's worst contributor to climate change). Just how far and for how long its reputation will fall is unknown, but one can only hope it stops at some point.