(TORONTO) – In response to the Speech from the Throne delivered to Parliament today, Greenpeace Canada released the following statement.
Greenpeace Canada spokesperson Alex Speers-Roesch said:
“The elephant in the room was that amidst all the government’s promises on climate action and reconciliation, we just watched militarized RCMP invade the unceded, sovereign territory of the Wet’suwet’en nation and arrest their people for practicing Indigenous self-governance and upholding their laws. All to force the construction of a new fossil fuel pipeline.
Today’s Throne Speech contained welcome commitments around capping and reducing oil and gas sector emissions and funding public transit. But it stopped short of squarely acknowledging the urgent need, in the face of the climate crisis, to rapidly phase out fossil fuels. B.C. is still reeling from catastrophic flooding linked to climate change, and things will only get worse until emissions go to zero. The government must move swiftly to implement its existing climate commitments and take additional steps to achieve a green and just recovery from COVID-19.
It’s no accident Canada has missed every emissions target to date. That’s the influence of the fossil fuel industry on our politics. The only way Canada is going to finally bring down emissions and achieve reconciliation is if politicians stop listening to oil and gas companies and start listening to Indigenous people, scientists, and the climate-concerned public.”
ENDS
For More Information Please Contact:
Marie-Christine Fiset, Head of Media, Greenpeace Canada
[email protected]; +1 514 972-6316
