Over 30 organizations working on climate change today released an open letter to federal party leaders calling on them to pass Bill C-311, the Climate Change Accountability Act, before Parliament's summer break begins on June 23.
This bill, introduced by NDP MP Bruce Hyer, would set national greenhouse gas emission targets for Canada that align with climate scientists' analysis of the emission cuts needed to avoid dangerous climate change.
"If Parliamentarians work together, this essential bill could be law by summertime," said Graham Saul, Climate Action Network Canada-Réseau Action Climat Canada. "That would send a strong signal to the world that Canada intends to do its part in tackling global warming."
Countries are now more than halfway through a two-year negotiation on the next global climate treaty. The negotiations are scheduled to wrap up in Copenhagen, Denmark in December. The national target that Canada currently supports falls far short of the reduction levels that leading scientists have recommended.
An earlier version of this private member's bill, tabled by NDP leader Jack Layton, passed its third and final reading the House of Commons in June 2008, but did not complete Senate consideration before Parliament dissolved for the October 2008 federal election.
The letter concludes: "Canadians want to see our country play a leadership role in Copenhagen, and they care deeply about protecting our natural heritage. The Climate Change Accountability Act is an essential step towards those goals. Please work together to make it law this year." (The full text of the letter is available here.)
Signatories to the letter include national environmental organizations, faith and labour groups, and groups representing seven provinces and the North.
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For more information, contact:
Graham Saul, Climate Action Network, 613-558-3368
Matthew Bramley, 819-210-6115
