Liberal candidate Leah Taylor Roy says the climate crisis leaves her worried that her grandchildren \u201cwon\u2019t grow up in the same way I did.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her party will build on accomplishments should they form the next government after the September 20 Federal Election, including meeting and exceeding their goals on reducing emissions, banning single-use plastics and all plastic waste by 2030 and planting two billion trees over the next decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAdditionally we are changing behaviour by putting a price on pollution and the corresponding Climate Action Incentive Rebate that we all receive,\u201d she says. \u201cWe had to fight provincial challenges in court to implement this program nationwide and we continue to believe, along with experts and countries around the world, that this is one of the most effective way to reduce greenhouses gasses: by ensuring that the price of pollution is reflected in the cost of our goods and services.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Liberal climate plan, she adds, is a \u201cjobs plan\u201d focused on \u201cbuilding a green recovery to create jobs and grow the middle class while ensuring a cleaner future for our children and grandchildren.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe have a program to train youth to work with homes and businesses to help them make changes to reduce GHG emissions,\u201d she says. \u201cCompanies like Windfall Ecology here in Aurora are already working on these initiatives and will grow and be able to hire more youth. Then we are providing subsidies \u2014 grants and loans \u2014 to make these changes and providing our municipalities with funding to fight the impact of climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe single biggest threat in the climate crisis is regressive climate policy. The Conservatives continue to deny climate change and want to lower our emissions targets. We cannot afford to go backward on climate action. Our Liberal team recognizes that we must act now to protect our planet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Conservative candidate Leona Alleslev says protecting the environment has \u201calways been a core Conservative value\u201d, recognizing that climate change is indeed real and \u201cas Canadians we must do our part to reduce green house gas (GHC) emissions and \u201ccontribute to sound environmental stewardship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are all committed to building a greener future for our children and grandchildren,\u201d she says. \u201cThe Conservative plan will reduce carbon emissions, both from consumers and industrial emitters. It will also reward Canadian industry for meeting the highest environmental standards in the world and encourage other countries to do the same by imposing carbon border tariffs on goods imported from major polluters like China. The plan will also increase energy efficiency, conserve clean water, build more public transit, ban the export of plastic waste and preserve Canada\u2019s wild spaces and protect our endangered ecosystems by increasing our conservation areas from 12% to 17% of terrestrial lands.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As she goes door-to-door, Ms. Alleslev says there is a misconception that the Liberals have reduced GHC emissions, noting they have increased since they came into office and Canada has had the highest GHC emissions in the G7 since 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cClimate change is a global issue that requires a global approach. Canadian oil and gas meets the highest environmental regulations and standards in the world. Despite being the world\u2019s sixth largest oil producing nation, Canadians get 44% of their supply from foreign producers rather than domestic supply. Canada\u2019s continued import of oil and gas from countries that have significantly lower environmental standards than ours is not good for Canada or the world. Increased use of Canada\u2019s domestic oil and gas supply would reduce both Canada\u2019s energy vulnerability and our country\u2019s total GHG emissions. If all of the oil and gas producing nations around the world adopted Canadian standards worldwide GHG emissions would be reduced by a substantial 25%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAddressing climate change requires a comprehensive integrated approach and unwavering commitment. Canada\u2019s Conservatives have a detailed climate plan and will act to secure Canada\u2019s environment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
NEWMARKET-AURORA<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The climate crisis is a \u201creality here today\u201d and \u201cwe have reached the critical action stage,\u201d says Newmarket-Aurora Green candidate Tim Flemming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe must act now or face dire consequences in the very short years ahead \u2013 ask folks from British Columbia, New Orleans, and California, let alone the widespread poverty in Africa and more,\u201d he says. \u201cTrue change comes from action, not rhetoric.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where the Green Party\u2019s plan stands apart is the curtailing of funding for the oil and gas sector, with this money redirected to the electricity sector. The Greens will focus on buildings built with \u201cfirm emission targets\u201d that eliminate energy waste, and expanding rail transportation in a bid to reduce emissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOn a practical basis, the biggest factor and change we can all make is reduce our dependency on fossil fuels,\u201d he says. \u201cOil, coal and some natural gas must be designed to cease and replace with renewable electricity, solar and the like. Beyond that, [defeating] climate change comes down to leadership, and us. Each one of us has a role to play as consumers of fossil fuel and hold our elected officials accountable to do same. But we must act not talk now.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n While Conservative candidate Harold Kim says their plan will meet targets and reduce emissions by 2030, they will do so without the Liberal government\u2019s Carbon Tax.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUnlike the Liberals plan simply to impose another tax on the middle class that doesn\u2019t go to fighting climate change, our plan reduces emissions and provides a boost to jobs and the economy,\u201d he says. \u201cThe carbon tax drives jobs and investment out of the country. The Conservatives will bring in Low Carbon Savings Accounts (LCSA) that help Canadians make greener lifestyle choices, while allowing them to decide what works best for them and their family – putting choice back in Canadians\u2019 hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn addition, we recognize that public transit is important and have seen huge investments in VIVA and York Region Rapid Transit buses, but for many parts of Canada public transit just doesn\u2019t make sense. We have a plan for this too. Through our platform addressing the economy, we plan to provide incentives for made-in-Canada solutions and tax incentives for cutting edge technology and will be looking to make electric and hydrogen vehicles right here in Ontario. And, in this regard, by 2030 we will be requiring 30 per cent of light duty vehicles sold to be zero emissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMany voters of this Riding changed from Liberal to Conservative in the 2019 election, solely based on the Carbon Tax,\u201d he claims. \u201cDuring the initial stages of the pandemic, gas prices were around $1.00\/litre, and now gas prices have surged to reach $1.40\/litre, causing great concern for people who will be returning to the workplace. Most residents are also aware that rising gas prices impact prices of everyday living, making affordability a number one concern. The ability to put decisions back into the hands of residents is appealing to many and the Canada Recovery Plan has very detailed, doable plans and programs, with made-in-Canada solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Liberal candidate Tony Van Bynen, on the other hand, has a very different perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe most important aspect of our climate plan has been making sure it is no longer free to pollute,\u201d he says. \u201cOur plan is making the big polluters pay, giving most of that money back to Canadians, and investing the rest in the green jobs and technology that our kids and our grandkids will need. We\u2019re also scaling up renewables and green sources of energy, retrofitting homes and buildings, and working to electrify the rest of our economy. To get more of them on the road, we\u2019re also making it easier and cheaper for Canadians to switch to electric vehicles. Because of the measures we\u2019ve put in place, we\u2019re on track to reduce emissions by 36% by 2030, and we will surpass our Paris targets by reducing emissions by 40-45%, something the Conservatives have said they will not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf you look at the data, the largest emitter in Canada is the oil and gas industry. We\u2019ve been providing companies with funding to make their processes more environmentally friendly, and we\u2019ve taken steps to reduce emissions in oil and gas through market mechanisms like a carbon price, which is already working to help the industry move in a cleaner, more sustainable direction.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The NDP will set a target of reducing Canada\u2019s emissions by at least 50 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030, says candidate Yvonne Kelly, who says her party will create and fund a \u201cClimate Accountability Office\u201d to provide independent oversight of the Federal government\u2019s \u201cclimate progress.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe will continue with carbon pricing while making it fairer and rolling back loopholes the Liberal government has given to big polluters,\u201d she says. \u201cWe will fulfill Canada\u2019s G-20 commitment to eliminate the fossil fuel subsidies and redirect these funds to low carbon initiatives, and make sure that future governments can\u2019t reverse this by putting in place legislation to ban any future oil, gas and pipeline subsidies. We\u2019ll work with the provinces and territories to make Canada an innovation leader on methane reduction. The federal government can also model change, by becoming a trail-blazer in energy efficiency, clean technologies and renewable energy use. We will lead by example and procure from Canadian companies producing clean technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOne of the factors that plays a big role in the climate debate and climate crisis in Canada is the need to move from reliance on fossil fuels and what this will mean for the economy. In Alberta in particular, the economy which is driven largely by the oil industry is resistant to this change. The tension exists between moving on with the transition to clean energy and creation of good well-paying jobs in this new sector and the concern for the loss of jobs in the current industry. While the concern for those employed in the oil sector is real and we need to ensure that these workers are well taken care of as the transition takes place, the argument to keep these jobs does not hold a candle to the imminent dangers of the climate crisis. Big money, the oil industry and investors use the argument of job loss to convince Canadians that we cannot afford to transition and end our reliance on fossil fuels. In truth the loss of immense profits from oil is the main reason why this tension is perpetrated and it is also is used to undermine the acceptance of climate science.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n By Brock Weir<\/strong> From putting a price on carbon to providing tax incentives for green improvements around the home and in business, there is no shortage of suggestions on the 2021 Federal Campaign trail on how to address the impacts of climate change around the world, within Canada and right here at home. As the four leading parties […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29912","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general_news","category-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3D2k4-7Ms","publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-14 14:14:07","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29912","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29912"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29912\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29912"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29912"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29912"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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