VANCOUVER / COAST SALISH TERRITORY — Ed Whittingham, Executive Director at the Pembina Institute, made the following statement in response to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s approval of two major fossil fuel infrastructure projects:
“The last year has seen important advances in Albertan and federal climate policy. However, today’s approvals put a spotlight on the fact that the country isn’t doing its fair share in the battle against climate change in the absence of a credible pan-Canadian plan to cut carbon pollution and accelerate clean growth. We still don’t have a plan that ensures Canada achieves its 2030 emissions reduction target and deeper reductions by mid-century.
“The increased upstream development that Trans Mountain Expansion, Line 3 replacement, and other projects, including Keystone XL, could allow for tests the credibility of Alberta’s cap on oilsands carbon pollution. That cap must be enforced as a core element of Alberta’s climate plan, and cannot rely on industry having to make implausible improvements in environmental performance to fit under the cap.
“Canada’s economic development plans need to focus on taking advantage of growing demand for clean technology to ensure that our economy is competitive and resilient over the long term.
“Today’s decisions are also out of step with local and Indigenous concerns. In particular, the Trans Mountain Expansion Ministerial Panel report outlined that Indigenous leaders felt that the government had failed to consult adequately on the project. In order to honour its commitment to truth and reconciliation and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the federal government must address these concerns.”
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Contact
Andrew Aziz
Communications Director, Pembina Institute
647-217-7967
Background
Report: Building a Pan-Canadian Climate Plan
Blog: Success of the Paris Agreement will be measured by policy progress here at home
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