Canadian workers want to be part of the climate solution, but the Liberals are leaving them behind

NDP Critic for Natural Resources Charlie Angus made the following statement:

“While Justin Trudeau and his Liberal government have talked about being climate leaders, today’s scathing report from the Environmental Commissioner paints a very different picture. Liberals are dragging their feet on their climate commitments and they’re leaving Canadian energy workers behind.

The report shows that the government took little action to deliver just transition legislation until 2021. And simply put: the Liberals don’t have a plan for the future of Canadian energy workers.

The Commissioner also points out this government has broken every environmental promise they have made. So, while they’re failing to support Canadian workers, they’re also lagging behind other countries who are already moving toward renewable energy and a low-carbon economy for workers and communities. And, while they fail to plan for workers, they continue to hand over billions of dollars in subsidies to big oil and gas companies.

Canadians continue to pay the price for the government’s lack of planning. We have learned hard lessons from the failures of past federal governments who refused to support or plan for a just transition -- and it left communities devastated. The Liberals can’t skate by without providing concrete measures to ensure energy workers and their families have the good, sustainable jobs they need now and in the future.

While the Liberals have turned their backs on workers and their families, New Democrats have been fighting to make sure that Canadian workers don’t get left behind. New Democrats will continue to call on this government to take real action by expanding EI benefits, providing opportunities for re-training and job placement services, ensuring companies retain and redeploy their workers when in transition, and guaranteeing that workers nearing retirement have the security they have worked their whole lives for.

New Democrats will never stop fighting for Canadian workers.”