Party leaders have many plans for the environment and other issues like racism and COVID-19 regulations
By Jerrison Oracion, Senior Columnist
The Conservative Party led by Erin O’Toole has similar values on the environment to Trudeau’s Liberal Party.
A federal election is happening this year, which is less than two years after the previous one. This election takes place alongside the coronavirus pandemic, the crisis in Afghanistan, and a heatwave-filled summer. The continuing rising temperatures led to the BC village of Lytton recording the warmest temperature in the country’s history at 50 degrees and the entire town being evacuated due to fire.
Before the election began, the United Nations released a report where they stated that if countries want to meet the emission targets in the Paris Climate Accord, then they must create green policies now. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his party is still committed to meeting those goals, though some criticize Trudeau for approving controversial pipeline projects. Trudeau and the Liberal Party introduced the Carbon Tax to encourage everyone to use less fossil fuels and instead use more green technology—but some provinces including Saskatchewan and Alberta do not agree with the idea.
So far in the election the Liberals have announced that in Vancouver 1000 local firefighters will be trained and given funding for wildfire-fighting equipment. Also, the Liberals plan to work with the private sector on climate adaptation—and this could lower insurance premiums.
The Conservative Party led by Erin O’Toole has similar values on the environment to Trudeau’s Liberal Party—and this includes meeting emission targets, building more electric cars in Canada, and criticizing heavy polluters. While the Liberal Party would offer a rebate on electric vehicles, the Conservative Party will offer low carbon savings accounts which can be used to get an electric car or purchase green technology. The NDP led by Jagmeet Singh also want to meet the emission targets and make sure that the oceans are clean.
Unlike Trudeau and O’Toole, the NDP claims they are also going to create clean jobs and build more green infrastructure and power communities with green energy sources. Usually, the obvious party to vote for if one is prioritizing green issues is the Green Party (who is now led by new leader Annamie Paul). Not only does the Green Party want to meet the emission targets, but they will also take action on climate change immediately by not approving pipelines, banning LNG projects and fracking, and not invest in mineral exploration projects.
These ideas to reduce carbon emissions are convincing for those who prioritize stopping man-made climate change, though some people would argue that these ideas will lead to workers in those industries being put out of their job and will harm the economy. How environmental issues will impact the voters in this election is yet to be seen. The Federal Election this year is a historic one, and it will be an important decision for the future of Canada.
