Liberal government playing political games with climate innovation

The climate crisis is too real and too serious for the Liberals to play election games with climate policy.  

Yesterday’s announcement of $300 million to fund ideas for reducing greenhouse gas pollution to be disbursed after the June election is more about politics than about addressing the climate crisis we face. Applications for the funding are due before the election in May, and funding is presumably dependent on re-electing the Liberals.

“People are sick and tired of the political games at Queen’s Park,” said Green Party of Ontario leader Mike Schreiner. “We are experiencing the costs of climate change right now and political games won’t solve the crisis.”

The government’s GreenON Challenge amounts to one percent of what the Liberals are wasting on their (un)Fair Hydro Plan to buy their way out of yet another Liberal scandal. If the Liberals were serious about fighting climate change, they would be using the billions they are spending to temporarily lower electricity rates on climate action.

“Borrowing billions to subsidize electricity primarily benefits the rich, undermines the province’s climate goals, and does nothing to fix the mess the Liberals have made of the electricity system,” said Schreiner. “Taking billions away from health care, education, and climate action to buy a Hydro band-aid is a political game that will hurt people and planet. Greens will continue to fight against these kinds of political games.”

The Green Party of Ontario is the only party with a serious and well-planned climate change strategy that will build the low-carbon economy that Ontarians and future generations need.