Good Sunday Morning.
This Sunday, at 11am Eastern in Toronto I will be at the public memorial service for Stephen Lewis. I heard about it, more or less, by accident, while emailing with Heather McPherson. We were trying to find a time we could get together. Heather and I have worked together on nuclear disarmament, often being the only Canadian MPs, along with Senator Marilou McPhedron, attending United Nations meetings on the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. (TPNW). I consider both Avi Lewis and Heather to be friends of mine, and after that tough NDP leadership race, I hope they are friends with each other. No matter how often I have been attacked by NDP backroom smear campaigns, as have most Greens, there is no doubt in my mind that our parliament will benefit from both a stronger Green presence and a stronger NDP caucus. Another dear friend is the last remaining NDP Quebec MP, Alexandre Boulerice. He told me some months ago that the rumours were true; that he had made up his mind that his political future lay in Quebec politics and becoming an MNA for the strongly left, sovereigntist, and (small g), green party, Quebec Solidaire. In the last day or so CBC news has confirmed that Alexandre will make his announcement very soon. I will miss him. We have worked together on so many issues. He was part of the group of 18 MPs, with participation from every party in the House, who toured the West Bank in 2018. He has also been strong in denouncing fossil fuel expansion and pipelines—far stronger than former leader Jagmeet Singh. In any case, losing another NDP MP is a blow to Avi Lewis, just starting out as leader. From seven MPs elected in April 2025, he will soon lead a caucus of five, not having a seat himself.
The Liberals and Conservatives have a shared goal. They both want a two-party system. They both want to eliminate the Greens and the NDP. They both want to keep First Past The Post. Canadians certainly do not want an even more toxic political culture, going the way of the USA with a hard-wired two party system. Canadian democracy benefits from more voices in parliament. Ideally we listen to each other, collaborate and cooperate. We do not have a lot of examples of such excellent parliamentary consensus building, but, for my money, the best federal parliament we ever had was the minority Liberal government of Prime Minister Lester B Pearson, with Leader of the Official Opposition John Diefenbaker and the strong role of the NDP, under leader David Lewis (yes! grandfather of Avi) with a caucus that included Tommy Douglas. That minority parliament brought us the Canada Pension Plan, unemployment insurance, interest-free student loans and (a real WOW) universal health care. And, of course, our flag!
First Past The Post is the cause of political toxicity and hyper-partisanship. Consensus-based voting systems, whether Mixed Member Proportional or Single Transferable Vote, foster cooperation. FPTP punishes cooperation and rewards nastiness. Greens will never abandon the effort to move to fair voting; not because it helps elect more Greens, but because it delivers better policy and a more respectful democracy.
On Friday, the Liberals announced approval of another BC fossil fuel pipeline. Enbridge will connect with fracked gas from the Woodfibre plant on Howe Sound. For years local groups have campaigned against approving the Woodfibre LNG plant, on the site of a former pulp mill. I have worked with the lead group “My Sea to Sky” for years. To learn more about why they oppose the Woodfibre LNG plant, read background here from their excellent website.
With the BC NDP government and Federal Liberals in something of a Hallelujah chorus, we need to do all we can to boost their grassroots campaign and share their research.
In what I suspect will be a model for the promised bitumen pipeline from Alberta to BC, Indigenous peoples are being given a financial stake in the project. Enbridge said it would sell a 12.5 per cent of the Sunrise pipeline to Stonlasec8 Indigenous Alliance for $715 million. That $715 million will come from the federal government. The Stonlasec8 Indigenous Alliance is described as 36 indigenous communities and an example of “economic reconciliation.” I get nervous about the term “economic reconciliation”. It seems like another form of colonialism. I will dig into this more. Respect for Indigenous wisdom and sovereignty requires that I research this more thoroughly. But, we know the Assembly of First Nations has raised the climate crisis as a top priority issue. How can this fossil fuel expansion be reconciled with the urgency of the climate crisis?
Coming from a completely different direction, the head of the International Energy Agency has laid out a clear case that the days of fossil fuels are numbered. Fatih Birol sees the threat to fossil fuels from the inherent financial risk due to instability and war.
“The oil crisis triggered by the Iran war has changed the fossil fuel industry forever, turning countries away from fossil fuels to secure energy supplies, the world’s leading energy economist said.
Fatih Birol, the executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), also said that, despite pressure, the UK should forgo much of its potential North Sea expansion.
“Speaking exclusively to the Guardian, Birol said a key effect of the US-Israel war on Iran was that countries would lose trust in fossil fuels and demand for them would reduce.
“Their perception of risk and reliability will change. Governments will review their energy strategies. There will be a significant boost to renewables and nuclear power and a further shift towards a more electrified future,” he said. “And this will cut into the main markets for oil.”
Birol said there was no going back from the crisis: “The vase is broken, the damage is done—it will be very difficult to put the pieces back together. This will have permanent consequences for the global energy markets for years to come.”
The International Energy Agency has now made it clear: energy security comes from homegrown renewables: wind and solar.
When you think of it, when was the last time nations went to war to claim solar energy? Approximately never. “Free and abundant” does not really appeal to billionaires and warlords.
Meanwhile Canadian investment in renewable energy has declined. We are going against the global tide of huge increases in renewables—outpacing coal in countries like China (spending $500 billion in 2025 alone, compared to total US investment of $378 billion). Pakistan’s total investment may be small, but its boost in solar is mostly “behind the meter”, meaning individuals and households are bypassing utilities altogether, which contributes to their reduced fossil fuel use.
In personal news, I had my second surgery to fix my cataracts! On Tuesday I had my left eye fixed. My ophthalmologist was really pleased to learn I was able to do my late show debate in parliament, mere hours after being on his operating table. Oh the miracles of modern medicine,
Here is my post-op debate: Elizabeth May Questions the Government on Cuts to Foreign Aid Contradicting Election Promises
This week will be dominated in parliament by the tabling of the Spring Economic Statement on Tuesday. Next week’s letter will bring you my breakdown of the government’s latest budget-like document.
Love to all,
Elizabeth
PS a petition to help me fight for privacy rights!!
https://www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-7237
We, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the House of Commons to oppose or repeal any changes to the Canada Elections Act, during the 45th Parliament, that have the effect of exempting political parties from privacy obligations that they are or were subject to; and impose enforceable privacy obligations equivalent to widely accepted Canadian fair information principles, including meaningful rights of access and independent oversight, prior to the next federal general election.
Closed for signature
July 4, 2026