MEDIA RELEASE:  Citizens’ Climate Lobby Spring Rendezvous: Building Canadian advocates for improved carbon fee and dividend policy 

MEDIA RELEASE:  Citizens’ Climate Lobby Spring Rendezvous:
Building Canadian advocates for improved carbon fee and dividend policy 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 5 ,2020

Sudbury, Ontario: Media, politicians and the public are invited to attend the 9th  Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) conference on Monday, May 11. Now being held virtually due to the COVID-19 crisis, the Spring Rendezvous prepares CCL volunteers to lobby parliamentarians on the vital importance of a fair, effective, and predictable Carbon Fee and Dividend policy.

In addition to climate advocate training, the event features guest speakers who will provide insights into international carbon pricing developments; moving Canada toward clean growth across all sectors of the country; key learnings from global climate lawsuits; and carbon pricing developments around the world. Keynote speakers include Jason Dion, Director of Mitigation at the Canadian Institute for Climate Choices and Céline Bak: Founder and President of Analytica Advisors.. 

“Our annual event takes on even greater importance in the midst of this global crisis,” says CCL Canada Director, Cathy Orlando. “It’s vital that we seize this moment, when people are aware of the combined power of their unity, to take the same fighting spirit Canadians have used against COVID-19 to the battle against global climate change.”

Following the event, CCL volunteers from 41 chapters across Canada will go on to lobby their MPs on the need for a transparent, comprehensive, multi-year carbon pricing framework. CCL’s recommendations include:

• The need to increase the national carbon price past 2022 to at least $220 per tonne by 2030 — as recommended by Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission — in order to meet Canada’s Paris Climate Agreement commitments.
• Ensuring that the carbon price continues to be revenue-neutral. CCL believes that Canadians should receive Climate Action Incentive rebates at least twice annually, via dividend cheques or direct deposits.
• The need for the carbon price to be economy-wide with minimal, principled exceptions and that all measurable greenhouse gases (GHGs) are priced.
• The need for Parliament to study the implementation of Border Carbon Adjustments that protect genuinely vulnerable industries and incentivize other countries to price carbon.
• That the Canadian Federation agree upon carbon pricing equivalencies between jurisdictions in order to enact Border Carbon Adjustments that comply with international trade law.
• A framework for cross-party cooperation be established, through legislation of science-based GHG targets and successive short term GHG budgets, with mandatory public reporting on progress in meeting these targets and budgets. 

This year, Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) Canada celebrates its 10th anniversary of building political will across Canada. A volunteer-based organization, funded solely by Canadians, CCL Canada is committed to advocating for carbon pricing improvements and the need to address climate change. Its members have lobbied parliamentarians more than 1,000 times. 

More details about the CCL Spring Rendezvous. Registration is free with a $10 recommended donation. 

Media Contact: Cathy Orlando: cathy@citizensclimatelobby.org; 705-929-4043

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