The Liberals are bringing forward an opposition motion calling on the Conservative government to take immediate and decisive action on the environment and climate change.
“The Harper government’s failure to implement any meaningful environmental plan and their continued foot-dragging on environmental issues is hurting Canada’s environmental and economic future,” said Liberal Environment Critic David McGuinty.
“That’s why we’re calling on the government to immediately put in place a national climate change plan with economy-wide regulations on emissions and strategic investments in renewable and clean energy.”
The Liberal Party tabled a motion today in the House of Commons amending Conservative environment legislation by calling for:
• A domestic legally-binding long-term emissions reduction target;
• The implementation of a national climate change plan with economy-wide regulations;
• Strategic investments in renewable and clean technology;
• The reversal of the Conservative government’s decision to cancel the ecoENERGY program that supported Canadians in making their homes more energy efficient;
• A First Ministers’ Meeting within 90 days of the motion’s passage to start moving Canada forward on a plan.
“By failing to invest in Canada’s environmental future, they are neglecting important investment in our economic future as well. The Harper government has let a multi-billion-dollar growth industry pass Canada by,” said Mr. McGuinty.
In contrast, the U.S. has already taken bold steps to invest in renewable energy, energy efficiency and offer direct stimulus funding for green initiatives.
“Mr. Harper is isolated on the environment,” added Mr. McGuinty. “He is far behind the provinces and our peer countries when it comes to taking leadership on climate change and the environment, and has undermined international progress at every turn.”
At the Canada at 150 conference, Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff presented Canadians with a clear choice: the Liberal plan to tackle the Conservative deficit and invest in jobs and our economy – including clean energy jobs – or Stephen Harper’s plan of giving further tax cuts to corporations before we can afford to lower them further.
The Liberal opposition motion:
That, in the opinion of this House, this government has lacked a commitment to principled environmental policy backed by action which is urgently needed to address the climate change crisis, and it is the further opinion of this House that the government has consistently ignored the legislative and regulatory powers at its disposal that allow the government to take immediate and decisive action to reduce Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions in order to achieve meaningful and science-based reduction targets, and therefore the House calls upon the government to:
(a) use the legislative, regulatory and fiscal authorities already available to the Government of Canada to put in place immediately a national climate change plan that implements economy-wide regulations on greenhouse gas emissions, and invests in renewable energy, clean technology and energy efficiency in order for Canada to compete in the new green economy;
(b) stop putting Canada’s environmental and economic future at risk by insisting that Canada must wait for the United States to act first before showing our own leadership on this most vital issue;
(c) set a domestic legally-binding long-term greenhouse gas reduction target of 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050;
(d) report to Parliament annually on its policies and proposals to achieve the trajectory toward the 80 percent target and revise as necessary;
(e) establish a non-partisan expert group approved by Parliament to set a science-based emissions trajectory to reach that 80 percent reduction target so that Canada does its part to keep global temperature increases to below 2°C;
(f) reverse the decision to cut the ecoENERGY program that allowed Canadians to receive a rebate for greening their homes using energy efficient products and services;
(g) restore Canada’s tarnished international environmental reputation by implementing Canada’s international commitment made during the Copenhagen negotiations to provide our fair share of new climate change financing for developing countries to support their adaptation and mitigation efforts to deal with the climate change crisis;
(h) follow through on Canada’s commitment at the G20 Summit in Pittsburgh in 2009 to phase out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies and report on implementation; and
(i) convene within 90 days a First Ministers’ Meeting on climate change to build upon the best practices and leadership that have been demonstrated in the provinces, municipalities and the private sector.
