Pembina Reacts: Successful Vote on Bill C-311, the Climate Change Accountability Act

Matthew Bramley, Director of the Pembina Institute's climate change program, made the following statement in response to today's House of Commons vote on Bill C-311. Thanks to support from opposition party MPs, the bill passed third reading in the House of Commons and is headed to the Senate. C-311 would require the federal government to adopt annual climate change plans and regulations to reach science-based emissions targets:
 
"By passing the Climate Change Accountability Act today, a majority of MPs have voted for strong, science-based action on climate change. This groundbreaking bill would set a target for Canada's 2050 emissions that lines up with our G8 commitments and with U.S. legislation, and would require the government to move immediately to put in place the policies needed to get on track towards that target.

"It's extremely disappointing to see the government MPs who voted unanimously against the bill choose delay and inaction instead of leadership.

"We congratulate all those MPs who supported this legislation for their leadership and collaborative spirit, and we hope to see Senators continue on that path of working together to move this important bill into law.

"This bill matters because the government's current greenhouse gas targets fall far short of scientific assessments of the emission reductions needed to avoid dangerous climate change, and because to date the government has not produced a credible plan to meet even those targets."

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For more information on Bill C-311, visit: http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?DocId=4330053….

The Pembina Institute is a non-partisan sustainable energy think tank.

Contact:
Matthew Bramley
Director, Climate Change
613-216-1976 x26
819-210-6115
matthewb@pembina.org