NDP statement on Earth Day

The Leader of Canada’s NDP, Jagmeet Singh, issued the following statement:

“On Earth Day, we must all reflect on and renew our commitments to making our planet a better, healthier place – both now and for the future. The climate crisis is one of the biggest threats facing Canadians and people worldwide. With recent flooding, wildfires, and extreme weather seen in our country, it is clear – more action needs to be taken now.

Unfortunately, instead of prioritizing commitments that help the environment, the Liberals have handed out billions of dollars to oil and gas companies in subsidies and bought a pipeline. And worse, the Liberals are going ahead with a new fossil fuel project and helping large energy corporations avoid paying their fair share in taxes.

New Democrats pushed the Liberal government to eliminate an important fossil fuel subsidy, which will reduce the amount the federal government spends on fossil fuel subsidies by $9 million. But we know the government needs to do far more to reduce emissions – the Liberals are going in the wrong direction on emissions and aren’t taking the climate crisis seriously.

As part of our plan to fight the climate crisis, Indigenous Peoples must be an essential part of climate conversations as they are uniquely positioned to address climate change. For more meaningful change to happen, they must continue to be a part of the climate conversation.

Canadians need a government willing to protect people and our planet, stand up for workers and keep our communities safe by taking the necessary action to fight climate change. They need a government that doesn’t prioritize the profit of the oil and gas sector over the needs of people and the planet. New Democrats will continue to push for needed climate action and continue to fight to protect the planet for future generations.”