Ford on the wrong side of climate debate

May 13, 2019

TORONTO — Mike Schreiner released the following statement in response to the first day of new partisan government ads against climate action:

“The anti-climate campaign spearheaded by Doug Ford is a partisan spectacle focused entirely on financing Andrew Scheer’s election campaign with taxpayer money.

The vast majority of economists agree that pollution pricing is the cheapest and most effective way to reduce pollution.

The use of carbon pricing in other jurisdictions has reduced pollution and lead to economic growth. The four best performing economies in Canada in 2017 were the four provinces with a price on pollution.

Yet the Conservatives have abandoned market principles and basic facts because they still see climate action as a wedge issue to divide voters.

But the gas stickers and radio ads are backfiring as people suffer the impacts of the climate crisis today, and as they realize Ford is wasting their money to sabotage solutions.

Two-thirds of Canadians oppose this reckless waste of public money, showing clearly that Ford is on the wrong side of the debate, not to mention the wrong side of history.

Our parody stickers take aim at Ford’s short-sightedness because estimates are that climate change costs will escalate to $91 billion per year by 2050 if we don’t act now.

This issue is front-and-centre in people’s minds. By doubling down on the misleading carbon tax rhetoric and cancelling funding for tree planting and flood preparation, Ford is only drawing more attention to his do-nothing agenda.”

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