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(Queen’s Park): Green Party of Ontario leader Mike Schreiner is pushing the Liberal government to take action on the climate crisis by making carbon polluters pay their fair share.
In an open letter to Premier Wynne, Schreiner calls on the government to announce plans for a carbon fee and dividend policy in their Fall Economic Statement on Monday.
The letter contains over 1,000 signatures on a petition supporting a carbon fee and dividend policy.
“The climate crisis is causing extreme weather events that threaten our well-being and cost us billions,” says Schreiner. “The Liberals all-talk-no-action approach is letting the people of Ontario down. We cannot afford to pretend to take action on climate change.”
Ontario is not on track to meet the province’s greenhouse gas reduction obligations according to Environmental Commissioner Gord Miller. Insurance claims for extreme weather events cost Canadians over $3.2 billion in 2013. The IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Synthesis Report released on November 2 concludes that climate change will have “severe, widespread, and irreversible impacts” on people and the natural world unless carbon emissions are cut sharply and rapidly.
“Inaction on on the climate crisis is not the legacy that we want to leave our children and grandchildren,” says Schreiner.
The U.S. and China just announced an agreement to act on the climate crisis. BC has shown how a carbon tax can result in a growing economy with less carbon pollution. Even Alberta has put a small price on carbon.
“Ontario cannot afford to be left out of new clean economic opportunities,” says Schreiner. “Making carbon polluters pay will provide the market incentives to generate jobs and prosperity in the clean economy.”
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To sign the petition go to www.gpo.ca/carbon