To The Editor,
In light of our Liberal government’s promise to enact The Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act, Canadians must fight the environmental cynicism permeating the land thanks to insensitive politicians and greedy corporations. For a while, the world shook under the ‘Greta Effect,’ when climate activist Miss Thunberg inadvertently triggered a movement after sitting outside Sweden’s parliament to preach the pro-environmental word to any who would listen. Yes, the PM should be congratulated for wanting to literally clean up Canada’s environmental act. But it is remarks such as those made by Alberta Environmental Minister Jason Nixon that should make Canadians angry.
Speaking to one media outlet, Mr. Nixon stated that “Policies that provide a competitive advantage to foreign competitors or cause further harm to the energy industry are not the answer.” This is rich coming from a man whose job it is to protect the environment in Alberta. Canada’s oil and gas sector added 193 megatonnes of emissions into our atmosphere in 2018; this sector accounts for over 26% of all our greenhouse gas emissions. Canada is projected to miss its target of reducing emissions by 30% below 2005 levels—another broken Liberal promise. Conservative criticism is meaningless as the previous Harper government never met a single environmental target. The NDP’s cries for environmental accountability are equally useless as no government would seriously create an ombudsman or entity capable of punishing its incompetence—and we are talking about Justin Trudeau’s Liberals.
Addressing the climate crisis ought to be a job delegated not just to politicians but scientists. It is a matter requiring the efforts of all elected members, government departments, and professional advisers. All one need do is listen to the media reports to understand how dangerous climate change is becoming.
Christopher Mansour,
Barrie
