- Megan Leslie in the House of Commons
Halifax NDP Member of Parliament, Megan Leslie is calling on Nova Scotians to help save a proposed law that would compel the federal government to make substantial cuts to Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions. Bill C-311 would require the government to set targets reducing emissions to 25 percent below 1990 levels by the year 2020 and to 80 percent below by 2050. It would also require the federal Minister of the Environment to set an interim emissions reduction target for 2015 within six months after the bill becomes law. In addition, a federal commissioner would be required to publish a report every two years analyzing the government’s progress in meeting its emissions reduction targets.
The Conservatives have opposed the bill, known as theClimate Change Accountability Act, since the NDP first introduced it in 2006. However, in spite of Conservative opposition, the bill passed the Commons in 2008, but did not receive Senate approval before Parliament was dissolved for a federal election. The NDP re-introduced the measure in 2009.
In a surprise move last week, Conservative MPs denied the unanimous consent needed for the bill to move to final debate. On Wednesday, the House will vote on whether the bill should proceed and Leslie fears that in the confusion over the procedural maneuvering, the bill will die.
“They [the Conservatives] don’t want this bill to pass at all because then they’d actually have to meet these targets or, they would have to break them,” she says adding that the Conservatives want to protect the Alberta Tar Sands, the world’s largest energy project.
“They don’t care about reducing our emissions, about reducing the amount of oil that we’re using because to them that’s where the money comes from. It’s about making sure that we can keep the Tar Sands going; it’s about making sure that we can still drive our SUVs.”
Leslie is calling on Nova Scotians who support targeted reductions in greenhouse gas emissions to phone or e-mail Liberal MPs to ask them to vote for the bill to move forward. She says the NDP and the Bloc are solidly in favour of Bill C-311, but although the Liberals supported it in the past, their current position isn’t clear. Last fall, the Liberals sided with the Conservatives and voted to delay the bill. The delay meant Canada was not bound by greenhouse gas emissions targets during negotiations at the UN climate change conference last December in Copenhagen.
Meantime, Leslie is also calling for people to get in touch with Conservative MPs, including Defence Minister Peter MacKay.
“Nova Scotia’s in a lot of trouble as far as rising sea levels go and the impacts that’s going to have on our province and I really think our Nova Scotian Conservative MPs need to hear from people that this is of concern to us.”
Environmental groups such as Sierra Club Canada, the Ecology Action Centre and Greenpeace Canada strongly support the climate change bill.
The vote on whether Bill C-311 moves to the final stages in the House of Commons is scheduled for April 14.
This article appears in Apr 8-14, 2010.
Well I see someone is drinking Kool-aid. What a couple of stalwart goups, Greenpeace and EAG. Boy do I feel better already. I’m surprised she didn’t get PETA involved. You want to be taken seriously? Get rid of or stop going to the fringes for support. Most people look at them as a bunch of kooks.
Funny you should say that, Bro Tim, because the Liberals have decided to back the bill. I guess Leslie’s approach worked after all. Maybe those groups on the “fringes” aren’t so kooky after all.
THe whole climate change model is wrong.
Seriously many scientists don’t believe the hype put forward at all. & the models from the 90’s about global warming have already proved themselves false.
You want a great laugh, watch exvice President what’s-his-name video on global warming, there is so much BS spewed on that show you’ll need hip waders to get out of there & not be covered in manure of cow !
I see it as just another tax grab.
Plus IMO 38 million Canadians can each burn 2 tires a day every day on top of the polluting we already do in this country & we’ll never even come close to how much pollution China did each day 2 years ago.
AND FYI , the Chinese have been putting a new coal fired generating plant online every week to 10 days for over 2 years….that’s a lot of coal burning day & night boys & girls…we’d have to ignite the entre Alberta Tar Sands to even come close !
Climate change is a natural phenomena, has been going on for several million years (remember this planet used to be molten) !
Ice ages will come & go.
Letting some asshole politicians screw us out of even more money to “offset carbon output” is asinine.
I’m being fucked hard enough by all the different levels of our wonderful government already thanks…I just can’t take any more. At least not until they stop taxing KY lube! & how long & hard does one have to be fucked over before you get a kiss …does anyone know that ?
mans contribution to green house gases is insignificant.these people acct as if the climate is stagnant and has never been warm.there was a king in england who grew grapes for wine in england.
it is all bullshit.the environmental groups continue these lies to keep their donation money up.
I am shocked that no politician has gotten on a soap box & declared that we need to set goals of stopping volcano emissions. After all air traffic over the UK & Europe has been at a standstill ! Those damn Icelanders have been allowing that volcano to be erupting without any concern for how much its effecting others. Then today I read its going to possibly disrupt air travel from Newfoundland !
IMO I really believe what Megan Leslie is trying to do is just as ridiculous as my suggestion.
We don’t need to have governments TAX PEOPLE because of some obscure carbon based system, it would be better to give incentives to those that work toward improving their carbon footprint, which would be seen as benificial by those who don’t realise the same benefits, because they’re operating in the same old fashion.
Putting penalties, extra taxes on businesses, citizens etc. will do more harm than good. Anything Government gets involved in now is a financial failure, no business can mismange anything to the degree a government agency can. One need look no further than Canada’s Gun Registry Program a 2 & half BILLION dollar fiasco, which hasn’t lowered gun crime in Canada (its on the increase) & everyone who said legislating honest responsible gun owners will not effect criminals in the least, has been vindicated by the Governments own statistics which show there is an increase in gun related crimes !
A Carbon Tax will be handled no better & could be financially devastating on businesses here ,while businesses in other places (like China) where you can pretty much do what you like…as long as you don’t cause any bad press !!!
How then will our local businesses compete, I ask you ?
Anyone who knows anything about trying to run a business can tell you if I gotta pay for something to operate my business & someone else gets it for much cheaper, or free. You are then operating at a disadvantage & that disadvantage can be enough to break you. So if you politicians really want to implement climate rules/laws start one where you benefit those who do implement change & not by penalising them.
If you really want to penalize businesses (those that don’t) with tarrifs & restrictions…especially if they are in another country. That could go along way to bringing back manufacturing jobs to here, if it no longer is so much cheaper to do it in another country.
Plus if that causes their factories etc to become ‘greener’ & its also helping in global carbon reduction, that’s a win, win situation.
I just don’t care. We don’t have global warming in Halifax. The past 3 years I’ve lived in the city and had to endure 6 month winters and cold rain every second day no matter the time of year.
But More isn’t the volcanic eruption cooling the Earth. I believe that’s what the scientists are saying. So the crisis is over, no global warming and no ice age. They cancelled each other out.
Yes Siree let’s shut down Canada’s economic engine.
The waves are crashing on the doorsteps of my Clayton Park home.
Yet people still vote NDP… amazing
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