QUEEN’S PARK — Peter Tabuns, Ontario NDP Energy and Climate Change critic, will introduce a motion calling on the Ford government to strike a select committee on climate change with representation from all parties. The committee would be tasked with immediately developing comprehensive provincial strategies to reduce emissions and an action plan to address climate change-related threats to Ontario’s environment, society and economy.
Tabuns’ call comes as communities across Ontario grapple with the consequences of climate change with increasing frequency and intensity. Ottawa-area residents are recovering from devastating flooding, Toronto Island residents are sand-bagging their homes to shore them up against rising water levels on Lake Ontario, and tornadoes ravaged eastern Ontario while wildfires have ripped through the north with more intensity in recent years.
“More and more, Ontario families are going to find themselves in situations where they’re forced to flee their homes on a moment’s notice if we don’t act now to dramatically reduce carbon emissions,” said Tabuns. “Each flood, tornado and wildfire that ravages our province adds to the growing imperative for Ontario’s leaders to come together in common cause in the fight against climate change.
“Our best hope of keeping people, homes and businesses safe in Ontario is to stop climate change from accelerating.”
Tabuns’ call for an all-party select committee follows a motion from Andrea Horwath calling on the Ford government to declare a climate emergency, which the Conservatives shot down. And with the clock ticking in the race to stop climate change, the Ford Conservatives have dismantled measures that would have helped reduce carbon emissions, like cap and trade and conservation programs.
“Andrea Horwath and the NDP will continue to call on the Ford government to do the right thing, and work collaboratively with all parties to fight climate change,” said Tabuns. “Nothing less than a livable future in our province hangs in the balance, and we won’t give up on the fight for meaningful action in the face of one of humankind’s greatest challenges.”
