We don’t often put out a general call to action to our members, but this month, we felt it was necessary.
The environmental rollbacks proposed by the federal government, combined with Steven Guilbeault’s departure from politics, demonstrate how quickly environmental protections built over decades can be weakened.
Équiterre is calling on our community to mobilize - to defend rigorous assessment processes, meaningful consultation, and a vision for the future that does not rely on the expansion of fossil fuels.
Steven Guilbeault’s decision is the logical conclusion to a series of announcements by the federal government to dismantle environmental protections, focusing on fossil fuels as a path to economic recovery. We commend him for standing by his principles.
Marc-André Viau said the former Minister’s departure should be a clear sign the Carney government is making a mistake conceding so much to Alberta. He mentioned Carney’s famous Davos speech where the Prime Minister said “if you’re not on the table, you’re on the menu,” saying the Prime Minister was clearly sacrificing climate action.
CityNews covers growing climate tensions within the federal Liberal Party. Équiterre’s Charles-Édouard Têtu warns the government is showing “favouritism towards the oil and gas industry.”
“Canadians expected better when they elected this government. They voted for a government that would shield us from the threat posed by the current U.S. administration, not to mimic their legislative agenda,” said Équiterre’s Marc-André Viau. ”
According to our analyst Charles-Edouard Têtu, “ignoring the environment will lead us straight into a wall. A government that denies the principles of sustainable development (…) is abandoning its citizens.”
“It’s a bit like if the Canadiens played a good first period, then stopped playing in the second,” explained our analyst Charles-Edouard Têtu. “There isn’t a coach in the National Hockey League who would tell his players: take it easy, there’s no problem.”
Climate
Policy
Stop federal environmental rollbacks
The federal government is proposing major rollbacks of Canada’s environmental protections in order to speed up the authorization of large-scale resource extraction, processing and transportation projects, including pipelines, mines and nuclear power plants.
These changes would weaken environmental assessments, limit public consultation and put our water, our environment, our health and vulnerable species at risk — for the benefit of polluting multinational corporations.
Here's what you can do: Make your voice heard in the federal consultation before June 7. Copy and paste Équiterre’s proposed email, add your name and postal code, and send it to the government.
There is no future in fossil fuels. The more of us who stand up against these rollbacks, the harder it will be to ignore our message.
