MEDIA RELEASE: Ontarians Lobby Their MPPs to Save the Climate

Ontarians Lobby their MPPs to Save the Climate

FOR IMMEDIATE MEDIA RELEASE  March 30, 2017
Media Contact: Cathy Orlando, cathy@citizensclimatelobby.org , 705-929-4043

Sudbury ON: On March 27 and March 28, 2017, 27 Ontarians from Georgetown,  Hillsborough, London, Milton,  Richmond Hill, Sudbury, Toronto, Vaughan, Waterloo, and Willowdale gathered at a small conference and then lobbied their provincial parliamentarians for Ontario’s carbon pricing policy to go onward and upward.  This is the third time members of Citizens’ Climate Lobby have lobbied at Queen’s Park since March 2012.

Since September 2010, Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) Canada members have been creating the political will for carbon fee and dividend: an upstream, national and incrementally rising revenue neutral carbon tax where 100 percent of the revenue collected by the government is returned to citizens on an equitable basis in a cheque.

Nancy Palardy

On Monday, March 27, 2017, Nancy Palardy, Senior Manager of Climate Change from the Office of the Environment Commissioner of Ontario (ECO) walked CCL volunteers through ECO’s analysis of the carbon pricing aspects of the Ontario’s Climate Change Action Plan. From Ms. Palardy, they learned that there is a gap between Ontario’s GHG targets and what we can expect Ontario’s current plan will achieve in terms of cutting emissions.

“Our citizen volunteers already know that Ontario and Canada’s GHG targets are woefully inadequate.  If every country adopted Ontario and Canada’s targets, this would not keep warming below 2^oC, let alone the 1.5^oC nations promised to pursue in Paris. It is disconcerting to realize that the province may not even achieve our woefully inadequate targets,” remarked Cathy Orlando, National Director of Citizens’ Climate Lobby Canada. “But they also know pricing carbon emissions is one of the most powerful incentives that governments have to encourage companies and households to pollute less by investing in cleaner technologies and adopting greener practices.”

Barry Mitchell (Toronto), Caterina Lindman (Waterloo), Minister Thibeault, Cathy Orlando (CCL Canada’s National Director, Sudbury) and Dr. Elaine Blacklock (Sudbury).

Constituents met with 8 provincial parliamentarians face to face and the staff of four others. Of note, they met face-to-face with the Ontario Energy Minister, the Honourable Glenn Thibeault and the opposition critics for the Minister of Environment and Climate Change: Ted Arnott (Progressive Conservative of Ontario) and Peter Tabuns (New Democratic Party of Ontario). Later this week, constituents will meet with their MPP, the Honourable Deb Matthews, Deputy Premier of Ontario.

“I am more confident than ever that the CCL way works. Constituents relationship building with their parliamentarians using respect and admiration for service is pushing the agenda in the right direction,” exclaimed Orlando. “The trend to clean energy is irreversible. We are here to help make sure it happens in a timely manner while protecting the poor and middle class.”

The climate crisis is extremely urgent. In 2016, atmospheric CO2 rose faster than in other time in human history.  Ultimately and quickly Ontario, Canada, and the world needs:

– A carbon price of at least $150 tonne by 2030.
– Unprecedented cooperation between the federal government, provinces, and territories.
– Border tax adjustments to level the playing field with countries that don’t have equivalent carbon prices.
– To abate populist and cynical attacks, the rising carbon price should not impose any additional burdens on low and middle-income Canadians.
– There has to be broad-spectrum of political will for the carbon pricing policy.
– Most importantly, the carbon pricing policy must cut GHG emissions as that is the purpose of carbon pricing.

Building on the wisdom gained on this first major foray to meet with provincial parliamentarians in 2017, Citizens’ Climate Lobby volunteers across Ontario and Canada will be asked to lobby their provincial parliamentarians for similar improvements with their respective provincial carbon pricing policies in May and June.

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