Keep climate change and the environment at the top of the 2023 to do list

The federal government has made strides on key environmental protections since the last election. Now is the time to double down to address climate change and pollution. The government has banned six single-use plastics, ended funding for fossil fuel projects abroad and committed a total of $800-million to four Indigenous-led initiatives to protect and conserve biodiversity. But MPs in the governing party meeting in Ottawa this week, and all Parliamentarians back in the House the next, must keep their eyes on the proverbial ball. Pollution and climate change continue to threaten both natural habitats—and the animals and plants that live in them—and our communities and health. There’s still much to be done to protect our future. Tim Gray is the executive director of Environmental Defence. Photograph courtesy of Environmental Defence Even if the government is no longer subsidizing international oil and gas projects, billions are still flowing from federal coffers to the fossil fuel industry in Canada every year, including over $18-billion in 2022. That needs to stop. We also need a strong legislated cap on oil and gas emissions and clean electricity regulations that ensure our grids are 100 per cent non-polluting. These are the promises the government made. Private finance of oil and gas is just as significant. Canada’s largest banks have funded over $900-billion in fossil fuel investments since the Paris Agreement was signed. The government needs to quickly implement a package of policies that ensure our banks and pension funds stop profiting from climate disaster and instead invest in a positive future for us all. Public transit’s funding model is broken—and unless we fix it soon—transit systems risk entering into a death spiral of fare hikes and service cuts. The next federal funding envelope for public transit currently slated to begin in 2026 must be accelerated, include critical dollars for operating service, and include land use standards to create affordable transit-oriented communities that stop sprawl. As the energy transition picks up pace, the government owes a plan to the people who depend on the oil and gas industry for their livelihoods. Planning for a just transition means ensuring people have real options by creating good green jobs in thriving economic sectors, with retraining opportunities, income support programs and economic diversification funds. The federal government is central to this process, but decisions must be made with other levels of government, including Indigenous governments, and with workers and their unions. More needs to be done on pollution from runaway plastic use and toxic chemicals. The government has been working to modernize the main pollution law in Canada—the Canadian Environmental Protection Act—for more than seven years. It’s time to get the law passed with all of the elements needed to protect the environment and Canadians from pollution, including the right to know what hazardous chemicals are in the products we use every day. We need a guarantee that companies profiting from the oil sands won’t be allowed to flush their toxic tailings down the Athabasca River. And let’s not forget plastic pollution. The new federal ban on six single-use plastics is a good start. But there are many other harmful single-use plastics and additives that will continue to threaten oceans and freshwater ecosystems, other natural habitats, and human and animal health. The government must move to expand the ban to other unnecessary items like takeout coffee cups and lids, single-serve packets and food wrappers, while meaningfully supporting a shift to reusable packaging. We all need a healthy climate and clean water, air, and food to thrive. But this has not always been a priority when making key decisions about our economy and natural resources in Canada. Some people and communities pay the price more than others, in large part because of the history of colonialism and who holds power over land and decision-making. This is particularly true for Indigenous, Black, people of colour, and working class communities affected by pollution and resource extraction. That’s why the government also needs to pass and implement Canada’s first law on environmental racism that is currently before the House and release a strong action plan to implement the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples that recognizes the inherent and treaty rights of Indigenous Peoples. We all deserve a healthy environment, now and for generations to come. Tim Gray is the executive director of Environmental Defence. The Hill Times

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Keep climate change and the environment at the top of the 2023 to do list

Pollution and climate change continue to threaten both natural habitats—and the animals and plants that live in them—and our communities and health.

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