Cooperation for a planet in need

Today we applaud an example of the opposition parties coming together in Ottawa in a clear demonstration that the vast majority of MPs support federal action on global warming.

In one sitting, the Liberals, NDP and Bloc voted in favour of a motion put forward by Liberal Environment critic David McGuinty on a suite of key climate change measures, and of proceeding to a third reading of Bill C-311, the Climate Change Accountability Act.

The contents of the Bill and motion are a strong indication that these three parties support tough federal action – setting targets for reducing global warming pollution, reporting and transparency requirements around efforts to address climate change, and greater investment in clean energy and energy efficiency.

Most importantly, it has demonstrated that the opposition parties can cooperate on an ambitious agenda on clean energy and global warming. Canadians want to see our country lead in the clean energy economy. Currently, we are falling badly behind.

The U.S. is investing 18 times more per person in renewable energy than Canada, and is already reaping new clean energy jobs as a result. The U.S., South Korea, Australia, Mexico and Saudi Arabia all made larger investments in clean energy than Canada in their stimulus packages.

Canada needs to catch up or we’ll miss out on the clean energy boom, and we look forward to more of this kind of cooperation in Ottawa to get us there.

Rick Smith
Executive Director