Canada’s on fire! Let’s go into emergency mode
With a federal election on the horizon, pundits are busy speculating on Canadian voters’ top issues. Will it be jobs and the economy? Healthcare and education? Or how about climate change? The thing about climate, though, is it’s not just another issue. It’s an escalating crisis that affects everything else.
This summer has made that abundantly clear. Extreme heat took hundreds of lives in B.C. and it has created the conditions for the unprecedented wildfire season we’re suffering through now. These climate disasters affect public health, destroy infrastructure and terrorize communities. If there is going to be an election, political leaders need to start talking about climate action that goes much faster and much bigger than what they’ve offered so far.
What does real climate action look like? 350 Canada has it right with their ‘Canada On Fire’ campaign, which calls on Trudeau to do two things: halt fossil fuel expansion in its tracks with a moratorium on new oil and gas projects; and pass the long-promised Just Transition Act to make sure fossil fuel workers and communities have the support they need as we race to decarbonize our economy.
We cannot confront the climate crisis without confronting fossil fuels. This is the hard but crucial work that will help us build a safe, liveable future for everyone. I’m proud to support this campaign and I hope you will too. You can find details at 350.org/on-fire
Barry Corrin
Duncan