An opportunity to choose a no-carbon solution squandered, says Elizabeth May

OTTAWA — Leader of the Green Party, Elizabeth May (MP, Saanich-Gulf Islands) called out Justin Trudeau’s announcement in Victoria, B.C. yesterday, that his government is spending $79 million to buy ‘cleaner’ buses. However, only 10 of those buses will be electric, the other 26 will run on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).

“It’s clear that the prime minister has no understanding of the climate emergency we are in,” said Ms. May. “This is not the way to meet our Paris commitment to keep the global temperature increase below 1.5 degrees Celsius. CNG is a fossil fuel. Burning it produces greenhouse gases. Worse still, it is produced by fracking, which pollutes water, causes earthquakes and sends methane, a potent greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere”

A Bloomberg News article earlier this year points out that China boasts a fleet of about 421,000 electric buses. The Green Party’s Climate Action Plan: Mission Possible calls for all new cars to be electric by 2030 and for all internal combustion engine vehicles to be phased out by 2040.

David Merner, Green Party candidate for Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke commented: “The science is clear: we have less than 10 years to fundamentally change the direction of public transit in Canada. What do our leaders do? They invest millions of dollars in buses that run on fracked gas and fossil fuels. It’s almost unbelievable.”

“This is an opportunity missed,” continued Ms. May. “This is a time for leadership. Canadians are worried about the climate emergency, with good reason. They see other countries moving forward with fleets of electric buses and here in Canada we’re continuing business as usual. The prime minister is paying lip service to the climate crisis and continuing to pander to the fossil fuel industry. It’s simply not good enough. Greens will work with car makers to develop EVs, build a cross-country electric vehicle charging system and ensure all public transit systems are transitioned to electric.”

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