Pubdate: Sat, 19 Sep 2015
Source: Chronicle-Journal, The (CN ON)
Copyright: 2015 The Chronicle-Journal
Contact: http://mapinc.org/url/5fH8Gfxc
Website: http://www.chroniclejournal.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3155
Author: Tamsyn Burgmann
Page: 8

ANDERSON: HARPER'S OFF SCRIPT ON CLIMATE CHANGE

VANCOUVER - Canadian actress Pamela Anderson prompted laughs from
starry-eyed fans when she quipped she would never vote for
Conservative Leader Stephen Harper.

But she quickly switched to a serious tone and said citizens should
keep climate change top of mind when they go to the polls on Oct. 19,
calling it "the most important issue to anybody in the whole world."

"Harper doesn't have a good track record with that (issue)," she said
on Friday to explain her opinion.

"I think it's our decade's most important issue to deal with and
putting the environment ahead of the economy, I know, is a difficult
choice."

When asked on the campaign trail earlier this month why he hasn't
addressed climate change, Harper said he believes the two major issues
are the economy and security. The Conservative's policy sets a target
of reducing carbon emissions by 30 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030,
which Harper has said goes farther than any government in Canadian
history.

The former Baywatch star and model from Ladysmith, B.C., was in
Vancouver to release her new book of poetry and photographs called
Raw.

The 48-year-old, who calls herself a "small-town Canadian girl," used
the appearance to weigh in on the election, the environment, marijuana
legalization and British Columbia's wolf cull.

Anderson can't actually vote in Canada because she has lived abroad
for more than five years. The rule dates back to the 1993 Canada
Elections Act. Anderson is a dual citizen of Canada and the United
States.

The actress, who's known for her activism, told a news conference that
she calls upon her "really smart friends" to determine her positions
on the issues she promotes.

"I have 20 people, if I'm writing a letter or I'm doing anything I get
their input," she said.

She said the proliferation of medical marijuana dispensaries in
Vancouver illustrates that Canada may be "coming around" to her view
that pot should be legalized.

"I think it would be great for B.C.," she said, noting its importance
for medical users.

But Anderson said she doesn't smoke marijuana herself because she
doesn't think being hungry, paranoid or tired is fun.

She also reiterated her opposition to B.C.'s wolf cull after writing
an open letter to Premier Christy Clark earlier this week. The letter
called for a better solution to saving endangered caribou than the
slaughter of wolves.

"It's a very cowardly way to hunt, especially from helicopters," she
said. "I believe nothing good has ever come from a gun."
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