Parliament declares climate emergency

Liberals, NDP, Greens, and Bloc voted for the motion; Conservatives and Maxime Bernier of the PPC voted against.

Minister for the Environment and Climate Change, Catherine McKenna, urged all members to shed party politics “recognize the climate emergency.”

The motion supports the country’s commitment to meeting the emissions targets outlined in the Paris Agreement, as a report from Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) confirmed that Canada is warming up at twice the rate of the rest of the world.

Forty scientists who worked on the report said that Canadians will end up with “10 times as many deadly heat waves” and “twice as many extreme rainstorms” if nothing is done to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

While Justin Trudeau, Andrew Scheer, and Jagmeet Singh were in Toronto to celebrate the Raptors’ victory; Green Party leader Elizabeth May tweeted before the vote, saying she was “disappointed” she was the only leader in attendance for the debate.

While the Liberals spearheaded the motion, their carbon tax seems to have been receiving criticism from the Left and Right. Furthermore, Justin Trudeau’s plastic ban has received a mixed box of responses.

The NDP’s measures to combat climate change include subsidies for the purchase of electric vehicles and easier access to employment insurance for workers in industries threatened by the move away from fossil fuels.

Andrew Scheer is expected to release the Conservative platform on Wednesday, but some insider information suggests.

What do you think of the climate emergency? Should Canada recognize such an emergency with the facts provided?

Let us know in the comments below!