Creating a Balanced Future – An online conference and lobbying day with our provincial parliamentarians

Conference Outline

Citizens’ Climate Lobby Canada invites you to join us in a first of its kind ever for us:
A pan-Canadian online conference and lobbying event with our provincial parliamentarians
Friday, April 30, 2021 at 8 am PDT / 9 am MDT / 10 am CDT / 11 am EDT / 12 pm ADT / 12:30 NDT

Conference Booklet Creating a Balanced Future April 2021

 

Plenary session: approximately 

  • Welcome and Land Acknowledgment
  • Dr. Kian Mintz Woo, Canadian Philosopher and Carbon Pricing Expert
    Dr. Mintz-Woo’s Presentation
  • Sarah Lazarovic,  Canadians for Clean Prosperity
  • Sarah Van Exan and Eseohe Ojo, GreenPac
  • Sophia Mathur from Fridays For Future Sudbury
  • Group Photo of MLAs and Guest Speakers
  • Lobbying in breakout rooms

Theme: The theme is harmony. Specifically, we need the harmonization of climate policy in Canada.

Focus: Our focus is defending and improving Canada’s carbon pricing policy with integrity and the big picture in mind.

Discussions will be led by trained facilitators and focused on our finalized and bilingual 2021 lobbying ask of our provincial parliamentarians.

Instructions for the breakout rooms:

      • First, everyone quietly reviews the “leave behind: Creating a Balanced Future
      • Second, establish how much time you have.
      • Then move onto introductions, appreciation, introducing the asks, discussions using motivational interviewing, and other conversational strategies that do not involve lecturing nor arguing.
      • The facilitators and their teams have been instructed to come with two or three questions to elicit conversations.
      • Time-keeper signals when to wrap up,  establish follow-up and take a Zoom Photo.
      • Please use the hashtag #BalancedFuture and tag @citizenslobbyca when posting your photo
      • IMPORTANT What is said in the room breakout room stays in the room unless the provincial parliamentarian indicates otherwise.
      • The room facilitators have been trained beforehand. They are our leaders across the country. Their training draws upon over a decade of institutional wisdom and over 1200 lobbying sessions in Canada alone. We work closely with the CCL USA and many other groups in the CCL diaspora.
      • You do not need to return to the plenary
      • It is recommended that you debrief after the provincial parliamentarian leaves to make sure you capture good notes, clarify who does the follow-up, posts the photo on Twitter and who is submitting the notes.
      • Submit field report.

Our Guest Speakers

Our Guests Speakers
Dr Kian Mintz-Woo works on climate philosophy and policy. He was born in Vancouver. Since his undergraduate at the University of British Columbia, he has taught and studied at places like Oxford and Princeton. Currently, he is a lecturer at University College Cork in Ireland. Today, he’ll be discussing some recent academic work that is important for understanding the case for a carbon tax. His slideshow will be available in case you want to refer to anything in it later on.

Sarah Lazarovic is Vice President of Clean Prosperity, a climate policy organization that works to catalyze Canadian climate action. She works to educate the public about climate policy through Clean Prosperity’s Fair Path Forward platform. Sarah holds a BA and BFA, as well as an MA from The New School in media studies. She writes a quarterly comic about sustainability for Yes! Magazine and writes the climate positive newsletter Minimum Viable Planet.

Sarah Van Exan is the Executive Director at GreenPAC, a non-profit, non-partisan organization that works to build environmental leadership in politics.  Sarah has worked with or for all levels of government, managing environment, governance, and justice files. As Managing Director of Green Economy Canada, she led the expansion of a non-profit network dedicated to supporting business sustainability. Sarah sits on the board of a youth-focused charity in Kenya and co-chairs a climate action group in her community.

Eseohe Ojo is the Program Manager at GreenPAC.  She also works as a Research Assistant at CIGI (Centre for International Governance Innovation) and is an Associate at Palmyra Partners. She is a recent MPPGA Graduate and an ALT Scholar interested in Research, Policy, and Communications on Human Rights and Technology.

Sophia Mathur is a Grade 8 French Immersion student and Climate Reality Leader from Sudbury. Sophia was the 1st youth outside Europe to do Fridays for Future strikes starting on November 2, 2018.  Her story was told by author Jamie Bastedo in his 2020 book Protectors of the Planet.  In the past year, she has appeared in climate documentaries including CitizenKid: Earth Comes First (YTV), I am Greta (Hulu),  Rebellion ( CBC), and The Fight For Tomorrow (City TV).  With Ecojustice, Sophia is one of 7 young people taking the Ford Government to court for weakening Ontario’s 2030 climate target. 

Our ask of our Provincial Parliamentarians

LEAVE BEHIND BILINGUAL Creating a Balanced Future

English will follow

Créer un avenir équilibré

 Nous demandons la coopération des provinces pour une politique climatique équitable et fondée sur des preuves.

Le LCC Canada demande une collaboration nationale pour une politique de tarification du carbone juste, efficace et prévisible. Nos recommandations sont fondées sur des preuves et sur la nécessité d’un cadre transparent, pluriannuel et complet pour la tarification du carbone.

Appréciation : Nous vous remercions d’avoir reconnu la gravité de la menace du COVID et d’avoir pris des mesures sans précédent pour faire face à la crise. 

Réalité : Le 25 mars 2021, la Cour suprême du Canada a affirmé que les changements climatiques sont réels et qu’ils constituent une grande menace pour l’avenir de l’humanité. Nous devons réduire les émissions de gaz à effet de serre (GES) de moitié chaque décennie à l’avenir pour faire face à la menace du changement climatique. Nous sommes dans une situation d’urgence climatique. Les jeunes Canadiens nous disent ce qu’il faut faire : Écouter les experts et travailler ensemble.

Progrès : Le gouvernement fédéral a fixé un prix national pour la pollution par le carbone. La Cour suprême a confirmé le droit du gouvernement fédéral de le faire. Le gouvernement fédéral s’est engagé à atteindre l’objectif de zéro émission nette d’ici 2050 et a présenté un projet de loi visant à créer des mécanismes de responsabilité climatique pour atteindre cet objectif. Il étudie également les tarifs carbone à la frontière. Le CCL soutient pleinement le filet de sécurité fédéral, qui restitue les dividendes du carbone aux ménages canadiens. Le Jour de la Terre 2021, lors du Sommet des leaders sur le climat, le Canada s’est engagé à réduire ses GES d’au moins 40 % par rapport aux niveaux de 2005 d’ici 2030.

Soutien croissant à la tarification du carbone : Les grandes sociétés pétrolières canadiennes et américaines, l’Association minière canadienne et de nombreuses autres organisations ont appuyé la tarification du carbone. (Voir infographie.) Aux États-Unis, 3 589 économistes ont approuvé le modèle de tarification du carbone basé sur les dividendes du carbone, dont 28 lauréats du prix Nobel.

La bonne nouvelle : En mars 2021, 46 pays avaient légiféré sur la tarification du carbone et 97 pays avaient inscrit la tarification du carbone dans leurs engagements envers les Nations unies. Afin de promouvoir l’harmonisation de la tarification du carbone au niveau international, l’Union européenne adoptera des MCR d’ici janvier 2023. Les États-Unis envisagent également de mettre en œuvre une tarification du carbone et des MCR.

NOS RECOMMANDATIONS:

Coopérer à la réduction des émissions de GES

  • Nous recommandons que l’ensemble des provinces et des territoires coopèrent avec le gouvernement fédéral pour fixer et atteindre des objectifs de réduction des émissions de GES qui permettront de respecter l’objectif de l’Accord de Paris, à savoir maintenir l’augmentation de la température moyenne mondiale à 1,5 °C au-dessus des niveaux préindustriels. 
  • Dans l’ensemble, les provinces doivent harmoniser les lois provinciales sur la responsabilité climatique à l’échelle de la fédération.

Améliorer la tarification du carbone

  • Nous soutenons l’intention annoncée par le gouvernement fédéral d’augmenter progressivement le prix fédéral du carbone à 170 $/tonne d’ici 2030.
  • Nous recommandons que la grande majorité des fonds collectés soient équitablement reversés aux citoyens et qu’il y ait une transparence dans la façon dont ces fonds sont distribués.
  • Nous sommes en faveur d’une tarification du carbone à l’échelle de l’économie.
  • Nous devons recevoir nos remboursements trimestriellement par le biais d’un chèque de dividende ou d’un dépôt direct.

Se préparer des tarifs carbone à la frontière :

  • Nous recommandons que les TCF du Canada soient harmonisées en termes de prix de la pollution par le carbone, de couverture (émissions de GES et sources d’émissions) et de transparence. 

LCC Canada est une organisation bénévole et non partisane. Depuis 2010, nous nous efforçons de plaider en faveur d’une augmentation progressive du prix de la pollution par le carbone et d’une restitution directe et équitable de 100 % des recettes aux citoyens. À ce jour, nous avons 42 sections actives couvrant plus de 120 circonscriptions à travers le pays et nous avons rencontré des représentants du gouvernement plus de 1200 fois.

Creating a Balanced Future

Our ask for provincial cooperation on fair and evidence-based climate policy

April 30, 2021
CCL Canada is asking for national collaboration on fair, effective, and predictable carbon pricing policy. Our recommendations are based on evidence and the need for a transparent, multi-year, and comprehensive framework for carbon pricing.

Our appreciation: We thank you for recognizing the seriousness of the COVID threat and taking unprecedented action to deal with the crisis.  

The reality: On March 25, 2021 the Supreme Court of Canada affirmed that climate change is real and poses a great threat to humanity’s future. We must cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by one half every decade going forward to address the threat of climate change. We are in a climate emergency. Canadian youth are telling us what to do: Listen to the experts and work together.

Progress: The federal government has put a national price on carbon pollution. The Supreme Court has affirmed the federal government’s right to do so. The federal government has committed to net-zero by 2050 and has introduced a bill to create climate accountability mechanisms to achieve this goal. It is also studying border carbon adjustments (BCAs). CCL fully supports the federal backstop, which returns carbon dividends to Canadian households. On Earth Day 2021, at the Leader’s Climate Summit, Canada committed to reducing its GHGs to at least 40% below our 2005 levels by 2030.

Growing Support for Carbon Pricing: Major Canadian and U.S. oil companies, the Canadian Mining Association, and many other organizations have endorsed carbon pricing. (See infographic.) In the USA, 3,589 economists have endorsed the Carbon Dividends model of pricing carbon including 28 Nobel Prize winners.

The good news: As of March 2021, 46 countries have legislated carbon pricing, and 97 countries have carbon pricing in the commitments to the United Nations. To promote harmonization of carbon pricing internationally, the European Union will enact BCAs by January 2023. The United States is considering implementation of carbon pricing and BCAs, too.

We recommend:

Cooperate in Reducing GHG Emissions 

  • We recommend that all provinces and territories cooperate with the federal government to set and achieve GHG emissions reduction targets that will meet the Paris Agreement objective of holding global average temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
  • Overall the provinces must harmonize provincial climate accountability legislation across the federation.

Enhance Carbon Pricing

  • We support the federal government’s announced intention to gradually increase the federal carbon price to $170/tonne by 2030.
  • We recommend that the vast majority of collected funds be equitably returned to citizens and that there be transparency in how these funds are distributed.
  • We support economy-wide carbon pricing. 
  • We must receive our rebates quarterly through a dividend cheque or a direct deposit.

    Prepare for BCAs:
  • We recommend that Canada’s carbon pricing policies be harmonized in terms of the price of carbon pollution, coverage (GHG emissions and sources of emissions) and transparency.  

Canada is a volunteer-driven and non-partisan organization. Since 2010, we have been focused on advocating for an incrementally increasing price on carbon pollution with 100% of the revenue returned directly and equitably back to citizens. To date, we have 42 active chapters covering over 120 ridings across the country and have met with government officials over 1200 times.

 

Lobbying Resources

This section is for CCL volunteers who were not able to secure a meeting with the MLA/MPP/MHA/MNA for our April 30 event.

First, call and then email your provincial parliamentarian.

Dear <<>>>,

Thanks for participating in <<YOUR CHAPTER>> CCL events in the past. Citizens’ Climate Lobby Canada (“CCL”), which is a non-profit, non-partisan, grassroots advocacy organization that strives to support political will for action against climate change with one particular policy: Carbon Fee and Dividend. With chapters across Canada, representing more than 120 ridings, CCL has been solely focused on supporting this policy since its inception in September 2010.

Recently our organization held a unique online educational and lobbying event. In total, 108 participants from Newfoundland to Vancouver Island, including 19 provincial parliamentarians and 4 staffers from Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta, and British Columbia met on a Zoom call to hear from guest speakers. Then they went into breakout rooms to discuss the urgent need for harmonization of provincial carbon pricing policies. The event page is here: https://canada.citizensclimatelobby.org/creating-a-balanced-future/

I am writing to as if we too can meet to discuss the recommendations of Citizens’ Climate Lobby of our provincial parliamentarians:  LEAVE BEHIND BILINGUAL Creating a Balanced Future

 My fellow constituents and I are looking forward to having an opportunity to introduce ourselves and get to know you.

Kind regards,

Zoom Instructions

ZOOM CONFERENCING TIPS 

  • Save the email Zoom sends you. Better yet, add the Zoom event to your calendar when Zoom prompts you to do so.
  • Do not share your registration with others and especially anywhere online. It is unique to you.
  • Download Zoom onto your laptop, iPad, phone, or computer beforehand.
  • Sign in 5 minutes early.
  • If you are not able to join over the internet for whatever reason, you can join by phone. A phone number and password will be provided and you can join in via audio-only.
  • To improve audio/video quality, close all applications and other browser windows.
  • Network providers are seeing massive increases in residential bandwidth use during the day, and many users are being throttled. If participants are experiencing lagging or skipping, suggest that they use their computer to access video, while simultaneously dialing in by phone for the audio.
  • If you have problems connecting, please contact Zoom’s 24/7 support at 888-799-9666.

Listen to the Experts

Fridays For Future youth are asking adults to listen to the experts and cooperate.

We are listening to the experts at Citizens’ Climate Lobby and our volunteers are helping their communities move forward together. Please consider reading: Economic Benefits of Carbon Fee & Dividend: Good for the Economy, Good for People:
Compiled summaries of recent research, articles, and the peer-reviewed literature by Jerry Hinkle, CCL Research Coordinator

Please also consider this accompanying series of videos and resources in our CCL Community:
Weekly Course To Study The Economic Benefits Of Carbon Fee & Dividend

Participating provincial parliamentarians included Amanda Simard (ON), Jamie West (ON), Jessica Bell (ON), Chris Glover (ON), Suze Morrison  (ON), Peter Tabuns (ON), Rima Berns-McGown (ON), Joel Harden (ON), Mike Schreiner (ON), Shannon Martin (MB),  Marlin Schmidt (AB),  Sonia Furstenau (BC), Bruce Banman, (BC), Mike Starchuk (BC), Pam Alexis (BC), Trevor Halford (BC), Ellis Ross (BC) and Jinny Sims (BC) as well as the staff of Joel Harden (ON), Jill Andrews (ON), Brad Michaleski (MB),  Grace Lore (BC) and Bob D’Eith (BC).