Published in Policy Magazine

As governments the world over mobilize to address the COVID crisis and formulate health and economic policy solutions to its immediate impacts that will prove wise in the medium and longer term, the climate crisis has not gone anywhere. As former Green Party leader and renowned climate activist Elizabeth May writes, this may be our last lifetime in which to seize the “once in a lifetime opportunity” to address climate change.

Elizabeth May

August 10th, 2020

Being in self-isolation, working on zoom and trying to move mountains faster to address COVID, life these days sometimes feels surreal. The climate disaster news headlines keep coming. The alarm bells are ringing ever more loudly: We are in a climate emergency. The most recent sign of the climate apocalypse: the Milne Ice Shelf in Nunavut, the last fully intact ice shelf in the country, has collapsed into the Eastern Arctic.

I am, for the first time in decades of working on the threat of global warming, beginning to wonder if anything will alert us to the threat with sufficient resolve to save ourselves. How do we talk about apocalypse when we are in it?

For decades, the trite observation has been made that humanity’s response to the climate emergency is like the frog in the slowly warming pot of water.  If it had been a boiling pot of water, the frog would have jumped out. But in slowly warming water, the frog will just boil alive.

We seem to be moving to a rolling boil, and yet we do nothing.  Nothing at all.

We were issued a clear and compelling warning from the world’s largest peer-review science process — the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change — in October 2018.

In response, United Nations Secretary General António Guterres stated:

“This report by the world’s leading climate scientists is an ear-splitting wake-up call to the world. It confirms that climate change is running faster than we are — and we are running out of time.”

In response to that ear-splitting wake-up call, we have hit the snooze button.

At COP21 in 2015, Canada played a key role in ensuring the Paris Agreement committed to trying to hold global average temperature to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius increase above what it was before the Industrial Revolution. We were the first industrialized country to move to holding at 1.5, supporting the low-lying island states for whom failing to meet that goal is an existential threat. Back in Copenhagen in 2009, at the climate negotiations that failed so spectacularly, the entire continent of Africa’s delegations had marched from the plenary in protest, chanting “One point five to stay alive.”

The IPCC October 2018 report had been requested as part of the Paris negotiations to understand the difference in loss of life and catastrophic impacts between holding to 1.5 degrees or 2 degrees. The report made it clear: those chants were literally true. For millions of people it really is a matter of life and death to hold to 1.5 degrees.

Tipping points in the atmosphere are neither well understood nor easily identified. We cannot identify a clear red line that must not be crossed. It is best to think of the risks in terms of odds.

Odds are pretty good that civilization can survive if global average temperature goes to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. But the IPCC made it clear; while the odds of survival are better at 1.5 than at 2, there is no guarantee. We are already well into a danger zone.

At some point, without action, we run up against that completely terrifying risk. There is a point somewhere above 1.5 degrees when the heat unleashed by humanity triggers unstoppable, irreversible warming. At that point, all bets are off. In other words, the worst-case scenario for a climate crisis is not bad weather and high sea levels. The worst case is the loss of a habitable biosphere. This threat of “hothouse earth” or “runaway global warming” is due to something called “positive feedback loops.”

It has been one of the more famous “surprises” for climate scientists that the positive feedback loop from melting Arctic ice has so dramatically increased the speed at which ice is lost. When the ice melts, dark ocean water is revealed, which reverses its albedo from the heat-reflecting whiteness of ice to the heat-absorbing darkness of water, leading to more ice melt. Other feedback loops include forest fires releasing carbon heating the atmosphere to create more forest fires.  Melting permafrost releases a very powerful GHG, methane. If all the permafrost in the world were to melt, the release of methane would be four times more GHG than we have burned since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. So that does not bear thinking about for long. Let’s just make sure that doesn’t happen.

Two key “tipping points” that must be avoided would be losing the Western Antarctic Ice Sheet or the Greenland Ice Sheet. Because ice sheets sit in land, if they are lost, dislodging their mass to the sea, sea level rise is significantly impacted. According to the global consortium called the GRACE project (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment satellite system), loss of the Western Antarctic Ice Sheet could result in 8-metre sea level rise for Canada. One of GRACE’s principal researchers, Dr. Richard Peltier from the Physics Department at University of Toronto, described it to me as similar to water sloshing in a bathtub.

Tipping points in the atmosphere are neither well understood nor easily identified. We cannot identify a clear red line that must not be crossed. It is best to think of the risks in terms of odds.

A large displacement of water at the South Pole will slosh more water to our shores, than if the relatively nearby Greenland Ice Sheet was dislodged into the ocean. To avoid these tipping points, it is critical to keep global average temperature at no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius.

In Canada, we paid some attention to the 2018 IPCC report. The report led to an emergency debate on October 16, 2018 in the House, on a request that I made more or less simultaneously with Liberal Nate Erskine Smith and the NDP caucus.

As I told the House that night: “We have one chance, one chance only, within which all the nations on earth agree that we meant what we said in Paris, that we must hold the global average temperature increase to no more than 1.5°. This IPCC special report contains good news because it says we can do it. It says there are no physical, geological or geochemical conditions of planetary existence, technical or economic, that will prevent us from achieving the goal of protecting our children’s future, not future generations in the hypothetical, the children who are here now. I am talking about the grandchildren I tuck into bed at night, those children, not hypothetical children. All of us know those children. They are our children. We have one chance to ensure that in their natural lifespan they enjoy a hospitable biosphere that has sustained humanity since we first got up and walked on two legs.”

And I concluded: “Time is not on our side. History may not be on our side, but by God, we better be on our side.”

We had another emergency debate eight months later, on June 18, 2019. Following that debate we passed the Liberal motion declaring that we are in a climate emergency. No other party leader was in the House that night.  They were all in Toronto for the parade to celebrate the Raptors win. I cannot blame them, but the Liberals did schedule when the debate and vote took place. And the next day, they confirmed we were buying the Trans Mountain pipeline and expansion project.

Since then, the climate statistics for 2018 (the most recent year for which we have records) have been released. Canada’s emissions went up again.  Our climate goal — unchanged from the Harper administration — is further out of reach. That target, is, as noted in my speech from October 2018, is approximately one half of what we must do.

As U.N. Secretary General António Guterres wrote nearly two years ago, “We see the consequences all around us — more extreme weather, rising sea levels, diminishing Arctic sea ice. The scientists paint the most vivid picture we have ever had between a temperature rise of 1.5 degrees versus 2 degrees. A half-degree of warming makes a world of difference.

This spring the global atmosphere reached a terrifying new concentration of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere — 418 parts per million. It may not sound like a lot — after all, parts per million (ppm) amounts to a vanishingly small amount of carbon dioxide in the global atmosphere. But it is a stark reminder of how powerful these warming gases are. For at least the last million years, global concentrations of CO2 were never above 280 ppm. Yet, without those trace amounts of greenhouse gases, this planet would have been too cold to sustain life.

To have gone from 280 ppm at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution to 418 ppm in 2020 is an enormous difference — nearly a 50 percent increase. No human being throughout history ever breathed air with such a large amount of CO2. And concentrations, unlike metric tons of pollution, do not turn on a dime. Concentrations are the netted- out result of all the carbon sequestration performed by green leafy vegetation and oceans. It is not a figure that rises and sinks quickly. It will take centuries to shift global average concentrations downward.  Increases on 418 ppm are already baked into the system. 2020 is on track to be the hottest year on record.

Has COVID given us a reprieve? Or hurt our chances of survival? It really depends.  It is true that there were big drops in emissions of GHG during the height of the pandemic. We stayed home. We flew less. The air was clearer.

But the International Energy Agency projects that, overall, 2020 will only see 4-8 percent reductions in GHG compared to 2019.

The key question is “How do we bounce back?” The only time Canadian emissions have dropped in recent years was during the 2008 economic crisis. But when the economy recovered, our emissions rose again. For purposes of a ballpark comparison with other industrialized countries, the U.S. is still reducing emissions. The 1992 global treaty within which Kyoto and Paris were negotiated set 1990 as the base year. It was Canada’s sabotage under Stephen Harper to start changing base years willy-nilly. So, our current target of 30 percent below 2005 levels by 2030 is hard to compare with the UK target of 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030. Our 2030 target is generally referred to the “Paris target,” but it was set by the Harper government six months before the negotiations. Under the terms of Paris, Canada must adopt a more ambitious target within calendar 2020, yet the Environment minister has failed to confirm that we will.  Our existing target remains entirely inconsistent with Paris goals. While Paris aims for 1.5 degrees C, if every country on earth had the same goal as Canada, global average temperature increase would be 5.1 degrees C. Venus, anyone?

To compare apples to apples, the UK has reduced by 40 percent below 1990 levels; Canada has increased GHG emissions by nearly 21 percent above our 1990 levels (growing from 603 MT in 1990 to 729 MT in 2018.) The entire EU is well on track to the 40 percent reductions.

In Canada, successive governments keep kicking the problem down to the next crop of political leaders, with target years that slid from Kyoto (by 2012) to Copenhagen (by 2020) to the so-called Paris target (2030) to the new one  — carbon neutrality by 2050.

COVID does create an unprecedented opportunity to set a new course.  As International Energy Agency Executive Director Dr. Fatih Birol has said, the world has a “once in a lifetime opportunity” to pour investment dollars into renewable energy and energy efficiency. The same call has been made by leading economists. Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz and Sir Nicholas Stern, former Chancellor of the Exchequer, with other authors has set out a plan to restart the economy with climate-aligned investments. Their report was the product of interviews with over 200 economists and central bankers from the G20. Investing in a post-fossil fuel world is the best move for restoring a healthy economy.

Alternatively, the default knee-jerk political reactivity of Canada could lead us into grave error. We cannot cave into Alberta and the oil sands.  We must invest in the Alberta economy of the future, following the brilliant lead of TransAlta’s new solar investments using Tesla batteries.  We have a sustainable future within our grasp.

This may be the last lifetime for that “once in a lifetime opportunity.”

Contributing Writer Elizabeth May, MP for Gulf Saanich-Islands, is the former leader of the Green Party of Canada.

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One reader reminded me last week of Toyama and the other cities destroyed in that dreadful first week of August. Conventional fire-bombing, aimed at demonstrating the new technology of the B-29 bombers, destroyed Toyama and many other cities in Japan.

“In total, 8,000 sorties dropped roughly 54,000 tons of incendiary bombs on 66 cities, killing (by conservative estimates) about 180,000 people. The attacks burned 76 square miles of urban Japan to the ground.”  NPR August 1, 2020

So, yes, we remember Hiroshima and Nagasaki today – and yes, we must commit to nuclear disarmament and press Canada to sign and ratify the U.N. Treaty to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons.  But we must also remember Toyama and so many other cities….And we really do not need new fighter jets.

To other news, the climate emergency continues apace.  Flooding, tornadoes, fires, including the heat wave and fires in Siberia, loiter at the edge of our consciousness amid the non-stop COVID news.     The July 24th Sunday New York Times Magazine was entirely devoted to the unparalleled threat of mass human migration. The NYT sets out the threat and the reality of climate refugees. By 2050, from sea level rise alone, 150 million people could be displaced.

This week came truly terrifying news:

“The last fully intact ice shelf in the Canadian Arctic has collapsed, losing more than 40% of its area in just two days at the end of July, researchers said on Thursday.” Reuters Aug 6, 2020

The Milne ice shelf on the edge of Ellesmere Island was larger than Manhattan. I have actually been to Ellesmere Island.  Back in 1986, I had only just started my job as senior policy advisor for the federal minister of environment when I pushed the final negotiations to completion to create Ellesmere Island National Park Reserve – now known as Quttinirpaaq National Park.   And then I had to organize a September signing on Ellesmere itself, as (properly) demanded by the NWT minister, Tagak Curley.  Curley went on to play a key role in achieving territorial status for Nunavut. But September was a bit of a risky time for three Twin Otters to fly ministers and media, tables, chairs and flags to Tanquery Fjord. The deal, in English, French and Inuktitut, was signed just 750 km from the North Pole.  I got a real education on the details and risks as the weight load per plane had to include survival gear in case the weather shifted and we got stuck there.

I regard that fleeting experience on Canada’s most northern extreme as one of the great privileges of my life.  I saw herds of muskox running across the snow and one cheeky Arctic fox peered at us from a distance.

And now it is falling apart.  An ice shelf – our last fully intact ice shelf – has been felled by global warming.  To my surprise, the Friday night television news on CTV and Global featured this event, but CBC- “The National” did not mention it.

Impacts of loss of Arctic ice are felt around the world.  The ice that forms on the water surface has been thick enough to support hunters and polar bears for millions of years.  It is generally referred to as “multi-year ice.” The reflective power of the surface ice creates the albedo effect.  The white ice bounces much of the sun’s radiative heat back out to the atmosphere.

It has been one of the more famous “surprises” for climate scientists that the positive feedback loop from melting Arctic ice has so dramatically increased the speed at which ice is lost.  When the ice melts, dark ocean water is revealed. It does the opposite of the albedo effect; it sucks up the sun’s heat thus heating ocean water faster and leading to more ice melt.

An ice shelf, such as the Milne Shelf that just fell apart, forms along the edges of a land mass, but is also primarily surface ice. The ice shelves form from where glaciers run down a coastline.  They can be enormous, as was Milne, but they are also floating. (Exploring the Environment – Ice Shelves).

So it is important to remember that when we lose an ice shelf, or experience loss of surface ice in ice caps, sea level rise is not impacted.  Just as when you have a glass of ice tea filled with ice cubes, as they melt, the drink does not spill over the edge.  The loss of any floating ice still has serious knock on effects – loss of the albedo effect and, because the ice releases fresh water, there is a serious impact on ocean currents.  The fresh water sits on top of the heavier salty water and has the effect of depressing currents.  Loss of Arctic ice has contributed to slowing the Gulf Stream, with serious impacts to climate globally.  One reason that the Gulf of St. Lawrence is so threatened is that the Labrador Current which used to bring colder oxygenated water into the productive gulf has been increasingly displaced by warmer de-oxygenated water from the Gulf Stream.  What happens in the Arctic does not stay in the Arctic.

Ice sheets are different. Two key “tipping points” that must be avoided would be losing the Western Antarctic Ice Sheet or the Greenland Ice Sheet.  Because ice sheets sit in land, if they are lost, dislodging their mass to the sea, does impact sea level rise.  According to the global consortium called the GRACE project (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment satellite system), loss of the Western Antarctic Ice Sheet could result in 8 meter sea level rise for Canada.  One of GRACE’s principle researchers, Dr. Richard Peltier from the Physics Department at University of Toronto, explained it to me as being like the effect of water sloshing in a bathtub. A large displacement of water at the South Pole will slosh more water to our shores, than if the relatively nearby Greenland Ice Sheet was dislodged into the ocean.  To avoid these tipping points, it is critical to keep global average temperature at no more than 1.5 degrees C (the Paris target).

All our estimates for sea level rise, including the one from the Sunday Times of 150 million people displaced, are based on a much less drastic scenario in which sea level rises due to water expansion. Warmer water takes up more room than colder water- so those estimates of sea level rise hold to around 1-1.5 meters rise. An 8 meter rise, or if both ice sheet losses occur a 16 meter rise, is not in current calculations.

Sorry if this seems a depressing Good Sunday Morning!  The good news is that if we act decisively and stop using fossil fuels as quickly as possible, we can hang on to no more than a 1.5 degrees C global average temperature increase.  It will not be easy, but it is totally do-able.  We just have to take climate science as seriously as we take COVID science.

And since this was a lot of information to absorb all at once, take that glass with all the ice – skip the ice tea – and (once the sun is past the yardarm) have something stronger!

Stay well! Stay safe!

Love and thanks,

Elizabeth

P.S.

Just in case you missed it, federal Greens called this week for stopping construction of Site C.

We also called for Environment Minister Wilkinson to reject the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 project.

Saanich-Gulf Islands Greens

This weekly newsletter is published by Elizabeth’s EDA in Saanich-Gulf Islands. You can sign up for it here.

The post Good Sunday Morning – August 9 appeared first on Elizabeth May.

And August already!

Let us celebrate August 1st – Emancipation Day! Marking the passing of the 1833 Slavery Abolition Act in the British Parliament. In our Green Party release supporting the official designation of August 1st in Canada as Emancipation Day (as in many countries around the world), we made note of the fact that millions of people are still living as slaves.

Products we think of as “treats” come from industries dependent on slave labour – such as those popular rings of farmed shrimp and any chocolate bar not marked “Fair Trade.”  Marking our colonial legacy and the existence of historic slavery is important; so too is confronting modern slavery.

We are also coming up this week to the very somber 75th Anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Thanks to work from a grassroots peace movement effort “Bells for Peace,” connecting me through local peace activist William Geimer, I asked the Speaker of the House to approve the engagement of the bells of the House of Commons Peace Tower.  Dominion Carillonneur  Dr. Andrew McCready will rings the bells on August 6th and 9th, with the largest bell, the Bourdon, striking each day 75 times.

In a powerful opinion piece in yesterday’s Globe and Mail, Hiroshima survivor, Setsuko Thurlow, framing her plea around the ringing of the Peace Tower bells, urges our government to acknowledge Canada’s role in the nuclear attack. It was our uranium in the bomb and our National Research Council that played an active role in the Manhattan Project.

She calls for something we Greens have been demanding for years- that Canada sign and ratify the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. It’s time.

Meanwhile, much news this week poked holes in oft-repeated pro-oil propaganda.

This one article refutes (without meaning to) a whack of oil lobby lies:

The story in a nutshell is that with the drop in demand for oil, space opened up in existing pipelines and long-term rail contracts created empty rail cars and huge monthly costs:

“Cenovus said last week it was spending as much as C$20 million per month for its suspended rail program, one-quarter of the costs when it is fully active, but now generating no revenue to offset expenses.”

But don’t worry say our friends in the oil patch. When things recover there will be demand to keep all planned pipelines full and keep moving oil by rail.

So if anyone ever says to you, “if you block pipelines, oil will move to rail,” this article proves that even with more pipelines, the industry plans to continue moving oil by rail.

Two other stories this week confirm that if oil is not dead, it is on life support.

The first was the news that global oil giant, Total S.A. of France, is writing off over $9 billion in assets in Canada’s oil sands.  Total has projected that global oil demand will peak by 2030, with the price of Brent crude staying at roughly $50/barrel for the long term. That price is well below break-even for bitumen.

The second bit of oil future news came from the sector that does the drilling for oil across Canada.

“The Petroleum Services Association of Canada is cutting its 2020 Canadian drilling forecast for a third time as the industry remains mired in a slump expected to extend well into the second half of the year.

“The association says it now expects just 2,800 wells will be drilled in Canada this year, down from a nearly 50-year low of 3,100 in its revised forecast in April.”

Projections for demand continue to be revised downward.

And to cap off some good news for a change – two more developments.

Good news that Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson has reversed his earlier decision on environmental review of the Vista coal mine.

The owner, Coalspur Mine operations of Hinton Alberta, plans to massively expand operations, mining thermal coal for export. Searching on-line to determine who owns Coalspur Mine Operations, I find it listed as a sole proprietorship with ten employees.  That’s not a typo. Dun and Bradstreet lists the company as having ten employees.

Much of the coal mined in Canada is metallurgical coal for steel making. Mining coal intended for burning for electricity overseas is an outrage in a climate emergency.

Wilkinson’s decision is good news, but the project could well still be approved. Those who have followed anything I have said about Bill C-69, the Liberal version of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, will know I think it is close to useless.

This review will be a first big test. The fact the decision to review was at the discretion of the minister confirms that C-69 is just too discretionary!

And last bit of good news and a big thank you to BC Green MLAs Adam Olsen and Sonia Furstenau.

BC Greens have established clear lines before they will support the NDP efforts to change BC Hydro rules. Bill 17 would eliminate the potential economic benefits for First Nations in the development of renewable energy.  It would pull the rug right out from under them – with zero consultation. Bill 17 was denounced by First Nations leaders, notably President of the Nuu-Chah-Nulth Tribal Council, Judith Sayers, but not by many environmental groups.  I am grateful that Dogwood sounded the alarm.

So on this Sunday morning when for every year for the last dozen or so I would normally be decked out in feather boas and beads for Vancouver Pride, this year I am blowing kisses to all virtually. Mark Pride events in your heart as COVID keeps us from crowding the streets with our usual exuberant celebration of LGBTQ2s+ rights.

Have a great rest of your three day weekend!!!

Love and Happy Pride!

Elizabeth

This weekly newsletter is published by Elizabeth’s EDA in Saanich-Gulf Islands. You can sign up for it here.

The post Good Sunday Morning – August 2 appeared first on Elizabeth May.

Climate change with little coverage (July 26, 2020)

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This week, MPs were called to the House earlier than expected on Monday to debate Bill C-20. Debate lasted for two days and the bill was passed on Tuesday. The passage of this bill expands the eligibility criteria for the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy and extends it until December 21, 2020. It also makes a one-time payment of $600 available to Canadians receiving disability benefits, and extends certain legal deadlines in response to the pandemic.

Jenica drove from New Brunswick to attend the in-person meeting in the House to debate this bill. In her question, she asked the Minister of Finance how the upcoming budget would account for the climate crisis. In her response to the bill, she blamed partisan politics as the reason why Canadians with disabilities waited so long before finally receiving financial aid, and she challenged her colleagues to do better. She also called for a Guaranteed Livable Income as a safety net for all Canadians, and pressed the government to begin virtual voting so that Parliament can continue to pass legislation during the pandemic while keeping MPs, their staff and communities, safe.

On Wednesday, Jenica participated in a rally outside Parliament for rent relief for Canadians. Then, during the session that afternoon Jenica recognized the incredible work of Canada’s Public Service through the pandemic and the rising urgency of backlogs across government departments. Canadians lives are on hold waiting for decisions from Service Canada, the CRA, Veterans Affairs, Immigration and Refugees Canada, and other federal departments. She urged the government to equip and empower federal employees to get through these backlogs and get Canadians the help they need.

This week, Elizabeth was able to question witnesses by Zoom in two committees, participating in the Finance Committee hearings into the WE Charity scandal, as well as hearings in the Fisheries Committee on the threats to Pacific Salmon. She was also interviewed on CTV regarding the WE scandal.

Early this week Paul met with representatives from Clean Prosperity, a non-profit group advocating for increases to the carbon tax and direct payment rebates, so all Canadians can see the benefit. On Wednesday he met with Nanaimo lawyer Robert Laurie, who is on the legal team of Therapsil, a non-profit coalition of healthcare professionals, patients, and advocates working to help palliative care patients obtain legal access to psilocybin-assisted therapy for end-of-life anxiety and distress. Thursday afternoon Paul was invited to participate in the second session of the Young Canadians Parliament, an event designed to encourage Canadian youth to become self-advocates for political action on issues that impact them. Paul has two more upcoming Community Conversations scheduled on July 29th and August 5th. Visit his website for details.

The next scheduled sitting of the House will be held on August 12. Until then, thanks for reading the Green Caucus Week in Review.

Key Moments

• Jenica Atwin: Response to bill C-20
• Jenica Atwin: Canada’s public service has saved lives during the pandemic, but employees need more resources to better help Canadians

Question Period and Member’s Statements

• Jenica Atwin: How will the budget account for the climate crisis?

Statements and Press Releases

• It’s time to make Parliament work – and vote remotely, say Greens
• Greens call for charges against Meng Wanzhou to be dropped
• Green Party calls for a clear plan to help students left high and dry by the WE scandal

In Their Own Words​

• Paul Manly on the Lynda Steele Show: Green Party wants Meng Wanzhou charges dropped
• Good Sunday Morning – July 19
• Good Sunday Morning – July 12
• Elizabeth May on the WE scandal (CTV)

Petitions

E-petitions open for signature

• e-2534 Amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (closes August 14)
• e-2565 Request that Israel immediately lift the blockade on Gaza (closes September 4)
• e-2583 Implement a Guaranteed Livable Income (closes 19 August)
• e-2615 Divest CPP from fossil fuel investments (closes October 3)
• e-2667 Ensure the human rights of Palestinian children (closes November 3)

The post Green Caucus Week in Review 07/20-24 appeared first on Elizabeth May.

This week Elizabeth returned to Ottawa for the first of four hybrid summer sittings of the House of Commons.

Wednesday was a big day for Greens. In the morning, Green MPs, alongside Senator Kim Pate, announced a Senate inquiry into wellness checks, following the death of Chantel Moore and many other Indigenous, Black and People of Colour (IBPOC) at the hands of RCMP and police. The inquiry will be initiated when the Senate resumes this fall.

In the afternoon, MPs met in a hybrid sitting to debate the government’s response to the ongoing pandemic, and to hear the economic snapshot tabled by the Minister of Finance. Elizabeth again pressed the Minister of Public Safety to prevent Americans from crossing the border for non-essential purposes. She again addressed the inquiry into wellness checks, launched by Greens. She also asked the government to waive cabinet privilege in the SNC Lavalin investigation. Finally, noting that the BC legislature is already voting on legislation virtually, she asked the government when they would be ready to follow suit.

Later on in the House, Elizabeth gave a speech in response to the economic snapshot. She called it “encouraging,” despite reporting significant debt and increased unemployment. “We are facing it,” she stated, referencing the government’s willingness to spend what is necessary to keep Canadians afloat during the crisis, though urging swift action on funding for people with disabilities. Elizabeth later held a second press conference to comment on the economic snapshot.

That evening, the Green Party hosted James Shaw, co-leader of the New Zealand Greens and that country’s Climate Minister, in a discussion with Elizabeth.

Paul continued his work on the Guaranteed Livable Income file this week. On Tuesday he talked about the different models and approaches to a Guaranteed Livable Income with Senator Kim Pate and Iglika Ivanova, Senior Economist and the Public Interest Researcher with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. Later the same day he was briefed by the authors of the Parliamentary Budget Office report “Costing a Guaranteed Basic Income During the COVID Pandemic”

Next week Paul will host the fourth in his series of Community Conversations, which will continue throughout the summer. On Wednesday July 15th he’ll be joined by United Way Central & Northern Vancouver Island executive director Signy Madden for a conversation about serving vulnerable populations in times of crisis.

This week, Jenica was interviewed by Global News and CBC Shift NB about the federal inquiry into wellness checks. She was also interviewed on CBC Shift with Terry Seguin regarding Air Canada’s decision to suspend key routes in New Brunswick.

The House will sit next on July 22nd. Until then, stay safe, and thank you for reading the Green Caucus Week in Review.

Key Moments

• Elizabeth May: Full response to the federal Economic Snapshot 

Question Period and Member’s Statements

• Elizabeth May: We need a federal inquiry into the “wellness checks” that are killing BIPOC Canadians
• Elizabeth May: Will the Prime Minister waive Cabinet privilege in the SNC Lavalin inquiry?
• Elizabeth May: When will the government allow electronic voting?
• Elizabeth May: Will CBSA prevent Americans from crossing the border for non-essential travel?

Statements and Press Releases

• Canadians need answers: Parliamentarians launch inquiry into Wellness Checks
• Greens demand a full inquiry into the RCMP

Press Conference

• Greens and Senator Kim Pate announce Senate inquiry into wellness checks
• Green Party reaction to federal economic snapshot

In Their Own Words​

• Elizabeth May: Good Sunday Morning – July 5
• Paul Manly: Economic Reconciliation can only begin when colonial practices are completely dismantled
• Paul Manly: Public Consultation – Protecting Canada’s Freshwater
• Jenica Atwin: CBC Shift with Terry Seguin (Air Canada)
• Jenica Atwin: CBC Shift – Wellness checks inquiry
• Jenica Atwin: Global News – Wellness checks inquiry

Petitions

E-petitions open for signature

• e-2655 Extend work permit timit limit for international students (closes July 10)
• e-2471 Grant the RCMP Funding for Body Cameras (closes July 16)
• e-2534 Amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (closes August 14)
• e-2565 Request that Israel immediately lift the blockade on Gaza (closes September 4)
• e-2583 Implement a Guaranteed Livable Income (closes 19 August)
• e-2615 Divest CPP from fossil fuel investments (closes October 3)
• e-2667 Ensure the human rights of Palestinian children (closes November 3)

​

The post Green Caucus Week in Review 07/06-10 appeared first on Elizabeth May.

This week MPs participated in the final week of regular parliamentary sessions before the summer adjournment, a time when MPs can concentrate on work in their ridings for more than a few days at a time. Given the ongoing pandemic, this summer will be very different. During the summer, MPs will meet for four pre-scheduled meetings of the House. There will be two in July and two in August, in addition to any ad-hoc meetings required to review emergency measures related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

On Wednesday, MPs debated the Supplementary Estimates put forward by the Liberals. When previously approved budgetary programs encounter unforeseen spending requirements, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic, the government can seek the approval of Parliament to add or reallocate funds to these programs through supplementary estimates.

In her response to the supplementary estimates, Elizabeth asked the government to explain an $18 million increase to the RCMP operations’ budget. She also asked that there be more funding for Indigenous people’s friendship centres, VIA rail, and why there had not yet been a response from the government to the National Inquiry on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

In his questions this week, Paul focused on Canada’s justice system and police force. He asked the government to reduce spending on the RCMP, decriminalize drugs, and ban the use of tear gas. He also asked the government how much the recent Trans Mountain Pipeline oil spill would cost taxpayers. In his Member’s Statement on Tuesday, Paul urged the government to consider the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic, and to remember that no one will be immune to the impacts of the climate crisis.

On Wednesday, Paul hosted another Community Conversation with Nanaimo Aboriginal Centre executive director Chris Beaton and Mid-Island Métis Nation president Joy Bremner. Their conversation focused on the challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic has presented for urban Indigenous people and the organizations that serve them. Chris and Joy talked about online celebrations planned for National Indigenous Peoples Day on Sunday, June 21st.

June 17th marked the one-year anniversary of Canada’s vote to declare a climate emergency. On that day, Elizabeth pressed the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, to commit to setting a new, more aggressive climate target this year, as per the legally binding requirements of the Paris Agreement. This week, Elizabeth was also elected chair of the Parliamentary Democracy Caucus.

Jenica asked the government when people with disabilities could expect to see financial support, following last week’s failed motion that would have provided a one-time $600 payment to those receiving the disability tax credit. She also asked the Minister of Health to address systemic racism against Indigenous peoples in the healthcare system, and called on the Heritage Minister to put forward policies to promote Indigenous place names.

This is the last newsletter you will receive until the week of July 8th, when the House will next reconvene. In the meantime, stay tuned to our Green MPs’ social media channels and websites, linked below, for news, publications, and online events. We are so proud of our Green MPs, and cannot wait to see what they will accomplish over the summer and in the fall. Remember that the COVID-19 pandemic is not over. As safety measures relax, we hope you will stay safe and mindful that the risk of spreading COVID-19 has not gone away. Thank you for reading the Green Caucus Week in Review.

Elizabeth May spoke at a press conference calling for an inquiry into the RCMP

Key Moments

• Elizabeth May responds to the government’s supplementary estimates
• Jenica Atwin wishes you a Happy Indigenous People’s Day
• Elizabeth May wishes you a Happy Indigenous People’s Day

Question Period and Member’s Statements

• Paul Manly: It’s time to bail out humanity and the planet
• Paul Manly: Will the government end the war on drugs by decriminalizing them?
• Paul Manly: Will the government rein in RCMP spending?
• Paul Manly: How much will the TMX spill cost Canadians?
• Paul Manly: Will the government prohibit the use of tear gas?
• Elizabeth May: When will the government take the climate crisis as seriously as it is taking the COVID-19 pandemic?
• Jenica Atwin: Will the government address systemic racism in the healthcare system?
• Jenica Atwin: Will the government put in place policies to protect Indigenous place names?
• Jenica Atwin: What is the government’s plan to support people with disabilities?

Statements and Press Releases

• Greens demand full inquiry into RCMP

Press Conference

• Greens call for inquiry into the RCMP

In Their Own Words​

• Elizabeth May – Good Sunday Morning June 14
• Paul Manly – Protecting Canada’s freshwater

Petitions

Petitions tabled by Green MPs this week

• Implement UNDRIP
• Simplify Marine Protected Areas
• Halt construction on TMX
• Condemn the Chinese Communist Party’s systematic murder of Falun Gong practitioners for their organs

E-petitions open for signature

• e-2447 Open competition for research funding (closes June 23)
• e-2450 Legalize the transportation of CBD products across the Canadian border (closes June 26)
• e-2624 Include long-term care in the public health system (closes July 3)
• e-2416 Mandatory labelling of food containing GMOs (closes July 4)
• e-2655 Extend work permit timit limit for international students (closes July 10)
• e-2471 Grant the RCMP Funding for Body Cameras (closes July 16)
• e-2534 Amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (closes August 14)
• e-2565 Request that Israel immediately lift the blockade on Gaza (closes September 4)
• e-2583 Implement a Guaranteed Livable Income (closes 19 August)
• e-2615 Divest CPP from fossil fuel investments (closes October 3)

The post Green Caucus Week in Review 06/15-06/19 appeared first on Elizabeth May.

This week Green MPs responded to the shocking killing of George Floyd at the hands of police officers in the United States, and the ensuing protests across North America. The Green caucus stands in solidarity with victims of race-based violence and is committed to creating a more just and diverse society. Please see the resources section below for a list of Canadian charities that support the Black community.

Elizabeth returned to Ottawa this week to represent the Green Caucus on the Hill in person. She will remain in Ottawa until the end of this session, around June 17th.

Elizabeth’s response to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s statement addressing George Floyd’s killing was a resounding affirmation that “Black lives matter, Indigenous lives matter”. She also held a press conference on this topic. Jenica repeated this affirmation when she recited some of the names of Black and Indigenous Canadians and Americans killed by police officers. She challenged the government to create a concrete plan to fight racism in it’s own institutions, address the unacceptable lag in settlement payments for survivors of the 60s scoop, and make promising treatments for ALS more accessible to Canadians.

Elizabeth focussed on Canada’s international relations in her questions. She pressed the Minister of Environment, again, to keep Canada’s commitments under the Paris agreement and set a new climate target this year, to prevent Israel from annexing occupied territories in the West Bank, and to help pro-democracy asylum seekers and Canadian citizens in Hong Kong to return to Canada.

In his questions this week, Paul asked about much needed improvements to the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA), which he stated is not helping enough small businesses. He also asked about the Canada-China FIPPA, a lopsided investor-state agreement which the Conservatives ratified without debate in the House of Commons. He wanted to know whether any Chinese corporations had threatened to use the anti-democratic investor-state provisions of the FIPPA to seek financial compensation from Canadian taxpayers, and whether the government will re-engage the special committee on Canada-China relations to do a thorough investigation of this agreement.

On Wednesday, Paul held the first of his Community Conversation series. He discussed mental health and safety at home in the context of COVID-19 with family counselor Tracy Myers. Next Wednesday he will hold the second in the series, with agriculturalist Chris “Farmer” Brown, about food security and community resilience.

Elizabeth also held a Virtual Community Meeting this week, communicating with her constituents from Ottawa. Jenica held a webinar on the Accessible Canada Act, where participants shared personal experiences and discussed the need to make communities more accessible and inclusive. American sign language interpreters participated and there were other accessibility tools for participants to engage. Jenica and the Green caucus have been pushing for supports for individuals with disabilities throughout the COVID-19 crisis.

Key Moments

• Elizabeth May speech on killing of George Floyd, racism in Canada

Question Period and Member’s Statements

• Jenica Atwin: Let’s commit to fighting racism in government institutions​
• Jenica Atwin: Why have the 60s Scoop survivors not yet been paid?
• Jenica Atwin: Will the Minister of Health remove barriers to effective ALS treatment?
• Paul Manly: CECRA needs to be more flexible for small businesses to survive
• Paul Manly asks about the Canada-China FIPPA
• Elizabeth May: What is the government doing to help Canadian citizens in Hong Kong return to Canada?
• Elizabeth May: How will Canada prevent Israel from annexing occupied territories in the West Bank?
• Elizabeth May: When will the government meet the commitments of the Paris agreement?
• Elizabeth May objects to Conservative heckling during the COVI committee

Statements and Press Releases

• Echoes of Tiananmen Square: Greens condemn China’s latest assault on democracy in Hong Kong

Press Conference

• Press Conference: Elizabeth May comments on US anti racism protests

In Their Own Words​

• Elizabeth May: We Cannot Tolerate Racism, but We Know it’s Here
• Jenica Atwin on CTV News: Mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Elizabeth May: Good Sunday Morning – May 31
• Elizabeth May Wants Canada To Accept U.S. Asylum Seekers Now That Country ‘No Longer Safe’ (Huffington Post)

Petitions

Petitions tabled by Green MPs this week

• Uphold UNDRIP and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action
• Call for an investigation on organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners
• Marine Protected Areas

E-petitions open for signature

• e-2525 Eliminate fossil fuel subsidies (closes June 15)
• e-2447 Open competition for research funding (closes June 23)
• e-2450 Legalize the transportation of CBD products across the Canadian border (closes June 26)
• e-2624 Include long-term care in the public health system (closes July 3)
• e-2416 Mandatory labelling of food containing GMOs (closes July 4)
• e-2471 Grant the RCMP Funding for Body Cameras (closes July 16)
• e-2534 Amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (closes August 14)
• e-2565 Request that Israel immediately lift the blockade on Gaza (closes September 4)
• e-2583 Implement a Guaranteed Livable Income (closes 19 August)
• e-2615 Divest CPP from fossil fuel investments (closes October 3)

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Resources

Support Canada’s Black Community

• Prisoner Emergency Support Fund
• Justice for Regis
• Black Liberation Council
• Federation of Black Canadians
• Support family of Chantel Moore
• Black coalition for AIDS prevention
• Black Youth Helpline
• NIA Centre for the arts
• Black legal action centre
• Black mental health matters

The post Green Caucus Week in Review | 06/01-06/05 appeared first on Elizabeth May.

This week, a reduced number of MPs met in Ottawa to debate the Government’s latest proposal that would allow MPs to participate virtually in regular sittings of the House. MP Jenica Atwin drove from her riding of Fredericton to Ottawa to represent the Green Caucus in what turned into two full days of debate. The motion was adopted at the end of day two, setting the stage for a new hybrid model of meetings in the House of Commons, in which MPs appearing from their ridings via video screens in the chamber will participate equally with MPs present in the House. The first of these meetings was held the very next day, with Elizabeth May being Canada’s first MP to appear in this new hybrid form of parliament. She spoke from her BC riding to present a petition on national pharmacare.

Until June 19th, MPs will table petitions, provide Members’ Statements, and question Ministers four days a week, in this hybrid fashion. They will also continue to participate in regular virtual meetings of various Parliamentary Standing Committees that study the impacts of the pandemic and advise on solutions. After June 19th, the House will break for a summer recess, but will meet twice in July and twice in August to question Ministers and continue debate on the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In her questions this week, Elizabeth pressed the government to follow up on it’s climate targets under the Paris Agreement and file a new climate target this year, and to consider family reunification a reason to allow family members of Canadians to enter the country while the border is closed to non-essential travel.

On Wednesday Jenica held a press conference to raise awareness about what mental health professionals are calling an echo-pandemic in the anxiety and trauma that people are facing during the COVID-19 pandemic. She participated in a second press conference on Thursday with other opposition MPs calling on the federal government to commit funding for survivors of human trafficking.

Back in BC, Paul Manly spoke about Petition e-2534 on Tuesday during a webinar hosted by Mark Haden, Executive Director for MAPS Canada. On Wednesday he was interviewed about the Green Party’s call for a national inquiry into long term care. Later that day Paul Manly announced the launch of a series of online Community Conversations where he will talk with local experts about issues that are impacting constituents. Paul’s team has also launched a ThoughtExchange as a way to further engage the community leading up to the first Community Conversation next week. Elizabeth will hold a Virtual Community Meeting on June 2nd for constituents.

Elizabeth May appears from her riding on the 100″ screens installed in the Chamber for the new hybrid parliament (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)

Key Moments

• Jenica Atwin: We need to reconvene with a hybrid virtual parliament

Question Period and Member’s Statements

• Jenica Atwin: When will municipalities receive emergency support?
• Jenica Atwin: To our essential workers, thank you
• Jenica Atwin: Will tourism workers have the same access to EI as other seasonal workers?
• Elizabeth May: When will community mental health services get funding?
• Elizabeth May: Will the government ensure Canada hits Paris Agreement climate targets?
• Elizabeth May: Family reunification should be accepted as essential travel

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Statements and Press Releases

• Greens call for national inquiry into long-term care facilities
• Preparing for the echo-pandemic: Green MP calls for direct investments in community mental health services
• Canada’s tourism sector needs urgent support, say Greens

Press Conference

• Jenica Atwin raises concerns about COVID-19 and mental health
• Jenica Atwin: Opposition MPs on federal funding for victims and survivors of human trafficking

In Their Own Words

• Elizabeth May: Good Sunday Morning – May 24
• Paul Manly: My Week in Ottawa: May 11-15
• Jenica Atwin: Letter to Minister Hajdu re: investment in community mental health services
• Elizabeth May: Letter to the Globe and Mail May 25

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Petitions

Petitions tabled by Green MPs this week

• Ban the use of neonictinoids in Canada
• Establish a Canada-wide prescription drug program
• Supplement wages to increase the minimum wage to $20/hour or more for essential workers

E-petitions open for signature

• e-2525 Eliminate Fossil Fuel Subsidies (closes June 15)
• e-2447 Open Competition for Research Funding (closes June 23)
• e-2450 Legalize the Transportation of CBD Products Across the Canadian Border (closes June 26)
• e-2416 Mandatory Labelling of Food Containing GMOs (closes July 4)
• e-2471 Grant the RCMP Funding for Body Cameras (closes July 16)
• e-2534 Amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (closes August 14)
• e-2565 Request that Israel Immediately Lift the Blockade on Gaza (closes September 4)
• e-2583 Implement a Guaranteed Livable Income (closes 19 August)

​

The post Green Caucus Week in Review | 05/25-05/29 appeared first on Elizabeth May.

Green MPs were deeply saddened to hear the news of the Snowbirds crash in Kamloops on Sunday, and mourned the death of Captain Jenn Casey. This tragedy so strongly hitting the Nova Scotia community follows the Cyclone crash and, of course, the devastating mass killings that occurred in several parts of the province originating in Portapique. Once again, the Green caucus extends its deepest condolences to the people of Nova Scotia.

In Tuesday’s virtual parliament, Elizabeth presented a petition raising the ongoing opioid crisis, and pointed out that the opioid crisis has killed far more Canadians than COVID-19. Jenica asked the Finance minister when the new budget would become public. She also raised the issues of funding for the Native Women’s Association of Canada, legislation that restricts gay men’s ability to donate blood, and whether the government would prevent the impending closure of Alberta’s only French language post-secondary institution.

During the in-person session of the Special Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic on Wednesday, Paul responded to a statement by Maryam Monsef, the Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development. Paul spoke about the disproportionate impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on women. The majority of frontline health workers are women, who overwhelmingly bear the double burden of supporting children and elders at home. Paul also cited the Moose Hide Campaign, a grassroots initiative which reminds men to hold each other accountable in preventing violence towards women and children.

On Wednesday, Elizabeth spoke to a national conference sponsored by the Humane Society on a panel with other Members of Parliament focusing on the gaps in animal welfare legislation in Canada. If not for the pandemic, Elizabeth was to have received an award from Jane Goodall for her work in banning the keeping of whales and dolphins in captivity.

On Thursday, Paul held a press conference concerning Canada’s international obligations. This came in light of Minister of Environment Jonathan Wilkinson’s announcement that Canada’s climate goals will be postponed due to the pandemic. Paul spoke for Greens when he called on the government to honour its international climate agreements, warning that the climate crisis cannot be postponed. He also urged the government to reinstate a moratorium on arms exports to Saudi Arabia, and to join other countries in urging Israeli PM Netanyahu not to annex occupied territories of the West Bank.

Paul has finished his turn in Ottawa, and returns to Nanaimo at the end of the week. Jenica will take his place, travelling to Ottawa with her whole family to represent the Green Caucus until the end of June.

MP Paul Manly wears a Moose Hide square outside Centre Block

Key Moments

• Paul Manly: COVID-19 has increased inequality
• Paul Manly: Small businesses, municipalities, and more are still falling through the cracks

Question Period and Member’s Statements

• ​Jenica Atwin: Will the government commit to core funding for the Native Women’s Association?
• Jenica Atwin: Why has the three month deferral for gay men who want to donate blood not been deferred?
• Jenica Atwin: Will the government help the Franco-Albertan community and save the Saint-Jean campus?
• Jenica Atwin: When will we see the updated budget?
• Paul Manly: GLI would be a more dignified way to help Canadians struggling with poverty
• Paul Manly: Will executives be held accountable for abandoned oil wells?

Statements and Press Releases

• Greens urge federal government to show leadership internationally
• Green Party Statement on International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia
• Green MPs call for more information on proposed changes to firearm laws

Press Conference

• Press Conference: Paul Manly on Canada’s international obligations

In Their Own Words

• Jenica Atwin: Webinar with Green Party of Ontario leader Mike Schreiner
• Elizabeth May: Good Sunday Morning – May 17
• Paul Manly: Life Jackets for Life

​

Petitions

Petitions tabled by Green MPs this week

• Uphold and commit to the implementation of UNDRIP, cease Coastal GasLink construction on Wet’suwet’en territory, schedule talks between the Wet’sutwet’en nation and federal and provincial governments
• Declare a public health emergency due to overdose deaths in Canada (opioid crisis)
• Issue a statement condemning the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners
• Ban the sale and/or manufacture of animal tested cosmetics and their ingredients in Canada

E-petitions open for signature

• e-2509 Top Up Wages for Essential Workers (closes May 22)
• e-2389 Reduce Water Pollution by Microplastics (closes May 22)
• e-2525 Eliminate Fossil Fuel Subsidies (closes June 15)
• e-2447 Open Competition for Research Funding (closes June 23)
• e-2450 Legalize the Transportation of CBD Products Across the Canadian Border (closes June 26)
• e-2416 Mandatory Labelling of Food Containing GMOs (closes July 4)
• e-2471 Grant the RCMP Funding for Body Cameras (closes July 16)
• e-2534 Amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (closes August 14)
• e-2565 Request that Israel Immediately Lift the Blockade on Gaza (closes September 4)
• e-2583 Implement a Guaranteed Livable Income (closes 19 August)

​

Resources

Contact Your MPs

• Elizabeth May (Saanich – Gulf Islands): 250-657-2000, elizabeth.may@parl.gc.ca
• Paul Manly (Nanaimo – Ladysmith): 250-734-6400, paul.manly@parl.gc.ca
• Jenica Atwin (Fredericton): 506-452-4110, jenica.atwin@parl.gc.ca

From Your MPs

• Paul Manly – Federal Support Programs
• Elizabeth May – COVID-19 Information and Resources​

Coronavirus Information & Resources

• Canada’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan
• Government of Canada COVID-19 information – Updates, travel advisories, prevention, self-assessment
• World Health Organization

International Travel Information from the Government of Canada

• Financial help for Canadians outside of Canada affected by COVID-19: Avoid non-essential travel outside of Canada
• Government of Canada Official Global Travel Advisory
• Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Travel advice

Important Contact Information

• Federal Service Requests (CRA, CPP, SIN, Service Canada, Passport)
• Government of Canada COVID-19 Information: 1-833-784-4397
• If you are in quarantine and are seeking to waive the one-week EI sickness benefits waiting period: 1-833-381-2725 or via teletypewriter (TTY): 1-800-529-3742
• Emergency and travel assistance for Canadians abroad: 1-613-996-8855 or sos@international.gc.ca
• Labour Program: 1-800-641-4049 (toll-free) or via teletypewriter (TTY): 1-800-926-9105

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The post Green Caucus Week in Review | 05/19-05/22 appeared first on Elizabeth May.