The moment of truth for Mr. Trudeau
| 10:01 PM (1 hour ago) | |||
Hi Nelson, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said it herself: the restart of the Canadian economy must be green and it must be equitable. [1] With the spring budget being written as you read these words, now is the time to remind the federal government that you are still watching — and you are ready to hold them accountable. Today, let’s send them a message together: you cannot build back better for a greener, fairer world without building back fossil fuel free. Saying you are going to ‘build back better’ is one thing. But putting the funding where it needs to go — into building clean energy infrastructure, good paying jobs protecting and restoring nature, and better supports for Canadians such as a universal basic income — and not into the deep pockets of giant fossil fuel corporations, is quite another. Justin Trudeau has already dumped billions of dollars into the Trans Mountain Pipeline, a project that has jumped by 70% in cost to $12.6 billion. [2] Imagine what that $12 billion could do for a national child care program, or for job training support for fossil fuel workers to transition into the growing clean energy sector? Enough is enough: tell the federal government to stop giving your tax dollars to climate-destroying fossil fuel corporations and build back fossil-free. Time is running out on nice words and empty promises — and the consequences of climate inaction will be dire. A new peer-reviewed study using novel modeling techniques has shown that air pollution from burning fossil fuels caused 1 in 5 deaths worldwide in 2018, killing more than 8 million people. This is double the findings of previous studies, leading the researchers to conclude that the health gains of getting off fossil fuels are twice what they thought yesterday. [3] The science is clear: transitioning the economy away from fossil fuels is a must for stopping runaway climate change and for building safe, healthy communities for our loved ones. This makes the spring budget the most significant federal budget of our lifetime. What our elected representatives choose to fund with our tax dollars today will determine the path our future takes. And increasingly, it seems the majority of Canadians don’t want a fossil future. [4] This is your money, so have your say: tell the federal government to immediately cancel the TMX pipeline and build back fossil free. If nothing changes, nothing changes. Today, raise your voice with me and demand our politicians do what they promised: restart the Canadian economy for a greener, more just world. Thank you for everything that you do, Keith Senior Energy Strategist, Greenpeace Canada
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