Politics Blog: A new deal for climate action and good jobs

Toronto – June 8, 2019 – NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has released his party’s plan to tackle climate change and invest in good jobs. The New Democrats’ climate plan is the most ambitious proposal of any political party and recognizes that the time for talk on climate change is now over. It proposes real and immediate action because our future depends on it.

The Trudeau government has talked a good game on climate change, but its actions have not matched the rhetoric. Canada is still giving over $3.3 billion in subsidies to the oil and gas industries, and the government’s emissions reduction targets are the same ones that were set by the Harper government. Meanwhile, Andrew Sheer and the Conservatives have no plan on this issue and many of their members are still stuck in climate change denial.

By contrast, Singh’s plan acknowledges that the time for action is now. As countless scientists have made clear, if climate change is not addressed in the next decade, our children will not have the future that they deserve. The NDP plan understands that everyone needs to have a seat at the table in tackling this issue, including Indigenous communities and working people.

The NDP proposal seeks to create 300,000 good local jobs and opportunities across the country, but also incorporates a just transition for workers by investing in significant training and employment supports that go well beyond Employment Insurance. As well, the plan aims to respect Indigenous rights by implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

The plan will also invest in complete energy efficiency retrofits on all existing housing stock by 2050 and ensure that all new buildings in Canada have net-zero emissions by 2030. More zero-emission vehicles will be built right here at home, and there will be major investments in making public transit cleaner, more convenient, and more affordable.

Elsewhere in the plan, buy Canadian procurement would boost clean tech research and manufacturing, in turn helping companies reduce emissions and keep good jobs here in Canada. Fossil fuel subsidies would be eliminated with the aim of making all electricity carbon-free by 2030.

The plan makes the tough decisions that need to be made now if we are truly going to tackle climate change, and it does so while ensuring that everyone – from Indigenous peoples to workers to business owners – is part of our collective effort to address the climate crisis.

The time for talk on climate change is over, and the time for real action has arrived. Jagmeet Singh and the NDP have stepped up to the plate by delivering a plan that will make Canada a leader in the fight against climate change, while respecting the right of all Canadians to thrive economically for generations to come.