OTTAWA – Following yesterday’s confirmation that the Liberal government is likely to trigger a confidence vote on the Fall Economic Statement 2020 (FES), Green Party Leader Annamie Paul is urging Prime Minister Trudeau not to pass up the chance-of-a-lifetime opportunity to deliver a clear timeline and direction for Canada’s Green Recovery plan.
"Canada is in need of a robust green recovery plan now. It is the greatest economic opportunity in generations and the best way to ensure a quick post-pandemic recovery. It is precisely why many of our allies have already announced their own green recovery plans,” said Ms. Paul. “While there were some constructive components outlined in yesterday’s Fall Economic Statement, there was no clear vision nor an outline of how we get there from here.”
“Such a plan would include: setting a target of a 60 per cent reduction in emissions from 2005 levels by 2030 with enforceable targets and timelines starting in 2025; a carbon budget setting out the maximum greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) permissible to keep within the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold; annual incremental increases in the carbon tax; a 100 per cent renewable energy national electricity corridor; and dramatically increased investments in the infrastructure and technologies that will support a green economy.”
A carbon budget is a core instrument for analysing and tracking in a carbon constrained future and is crucial to keeping the global average temperature at no more than 1.5 degrees C.
“The introduction of Carbon Border Adjustments, which I proposed in the spring, and which is included in the FES as something the government will ‘explore’, is also a step that will protect Canadian businesses and hold countries accountable for their carbon emissions.
"The question begs: who do Canadians have confidence in to implement these promises? A Green government would make a green economic recovery a priority and provide the ambitious leadership we need to make it happen.”
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Rosie Emery
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