Image via Reuters/Stephane Mahe
Canada’s premiers discuss climate change with Trudeau before Paris conference
By Aaron Guillen, Staff Reporter
Canada hasn’t been able to meet climate targets since 2005, but that may soon change under the new federal government, with the help of Canada’s premiers.
Ten years have passed, and PM Justin Trudeau is now in charge. He has adopted the goal of a 30 per cent decrease in emissions by 2030, and the Liberal government still has a long way to go to meet it.
With the Paris-hosted UN climate change conference, COP21, rapidly approaching, Trudeau is determined to find his country’s stance on such an important topic. Last week, provincial, territorial, and federal leaders converged in Ottawa to get a conversation going about how to deal with the effects of climate change on our nation as a whole.
With multiple voices chiming in, one that stood out to many was Saskatchewan’s Premier Brad Wall, who voiced his concerns to the press pertaining to the tens of thousands of employees who recently lost their jobs in the energy sector.
“As we prepare for Paris and to present a constructive and national front to the world, we need to be mindful of that fact, we need to work hard to ensure that we’re doing no further harm to an industry that’s facing great difficulty,” he said to on-looking press, CBC reported. “I don’t think those things are necessarily mutually exclusive.”
Premiers from across the country, along with Wall, are supporting Trudeau’s initiative to have provinces and territories formulate individual plans to solve such a huge dilemma. With such a wide collection of individuals living in diverse environments across Canada, it’s understandable that one mould can’t fit the entire nation. Nonetheless, a general consensus on common climate goals is necessary.
Though no specifics were hashed out, Trudeau promises a plan within 90 days post-Paris. Meanwhile, climate change awareness is revolutionizing Canada into a more environmentally-positive nation. While Alberta has recently implemented a carbon tax of $30 per tonne on carbon emissions, matching BC’s, Ontario and Québec have already agreed to a cap-and-trade system with California in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
According to CBC: “Justin Trudeau says he’s heading into the much-anticipated climate change talks in Paris next week with a “Canadian approach” to climate change, one that recognizes the work the provinces have already done.”
“It is clear that the way forward for Canada will be in a solution that resembles Canada, that is shared values and shared desires for outcomes and different approaches to achieve those outcomes right across this great country.”
