I have been thinking a lot lately about the nature of Canadian federation and the challenges, in so many areas of public policy, caused by jurisdictional boundaries and sensitivities.

In managing the COVID pandemic, it is very clear that we are ill-served by having divided responsibilities. For example, the federal government must contract and purchase vaccines. But delivering the vaccines is provincial jurisdiction.

So far the federal government has spent $1 billion on vaccines from seven different manufacturers for a total of 414 million doses. Two have been approved so far – Pfizer (for 76 million doses) and Moderna (for 56 million doses) – with more contracts from other companies once approved by Health Canada.

It is true we have committed contracts for more doses/capita than any other G7 country. But it is also true that the rate at which Canadians are being vaccinated lags behind many other countries. The best global vaccination rate is in Israel, which has set up 150 vaccination clinics. Compare that to Ontario which has set up 15 vaccination sites. (A quick note to forestall a flood of complaints. It is contrary to international law that Israel has not provided vaccinations to Palestinians in Occupied Territories. So I am not praising their record. And I agree with this finding from the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Palestinian Human Rights.

We watch as federal and provincial finger pointing seems to outpace vaccination rates.

Some provinces are doing a better job of protecting teachers in school than are others. I support BC Greens leader Sonia Furstenau (by the way, a former school teacher) in calling for the BC government to put in place a masks policy in schools (sign here! Masks in schools – BC Green Party)

Meanwhile, the death toll mounts in long term care (LTC). So far, of the nearly 19,000 deaths due to COVID across Canada, over 70% have been in LTC homes.

We know what must be done. Green Leader Annamie Paul held a brilliant expert panel on LTC setting out the necessary immediate steps to save lives.

But is it really down to the provinces to act? Is there nothing for the federal government to do to save lives? Well, there is an act expressly for this purpose. It is called the Emergencies Act.

Passed by Parliament in 1985, it replaced the War Measures Act. From the moment I pulled it off the government website and read it last March, I was convinced it was what we needed to deal with the pandemic. Have a look and see what you think.

Originally, the Trudeau Cabinet was looking at invoking it. Once invoked, parliament would have to meet within seven days to debate whether it was needed and Parliament would have rights of oversight over the temporary measures. If the government wanted to, it could limit the extent of its new emergency powers to getting inside LTC homes and taking over protection of staff and residents.

Back in the spring, as soon as provincial governments heard the Emergencies Act might be used, they pushed back and Trudeau dropped the idea. I asked Health Minister Patty Hajdu about it again last week. She may be right in saying that the government is making better progress in dealing with the pandemic by keeping relations with the provinces collaborative. But people are dying in LTC at higher rates in Canada than in any other OECD country. We know this is without a doubt the responsibility of the provinces. How many deaths are justified in order to maintain good relations with the provinces? (Personally, I would say “none.”)

Meanwhile, we have the same “blame game” in climate debates. The federal government pretends it cannot do much to limit GHG without provincial cooperation. It is true cooperation would be the best way forward, but it is not true that we can only move as fast as the least compliant province. There are many aspects of energy policy that are purely provincial, like regulation over electricity producing utilities. Some other areas have shared federal and provincial roles, such as development of fossil fuel resources. But the tools the federal government already has and does not use would be sufficient to drive much deeper cuts in emissions.

Since 2005, when former Environment Minister Stephane Dion changed the regulations, greenhouse gases have been a listed chemical under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. This means the federal minister already has the power to pass, by regulation, new levels of permissible emissions for GHG from every facility in Canada, just as the feds do for pollution levels from pulp and paper mills or refineries.

Then we have Jason Kenney in his mad flailing against the new US Administration for doing the right thing and canceling a pipeline that would have driven up Canada’s GHG emissions. We should be thanking him. The federal response? Pandering to Alberta once again and ensuring Trudeau’s first phone call with the incoming US president is to complain about Keystone being killed. How embarrassing.

We should be pressing for economic advantage for Alberta, and all of Canada, by setting in motion a bi-lateral set of economic plans for a post-COVID, post-carbon recovery.

Our federal-provincial sensitivities mean that Canada has done much less to deliver on shared climate commitments than have the 27 (post Brexit) separate sovereign nation states of the European Union. That’s right. One federal government, ten provinces and three territories are less capable of pulling together in a shared purpose than are 27 separate nations. The EU is currently 24% below 1990 levels in GHG emissions, while Canada is 21% ABOVE 1990 levels.

Never mind the absurdities of inter-provincial trade barriers on everything from wine to electricity.

Oh Canada!

Whether in a pandemic or a climate emergency, we are not prepared to use the tools we have to act in an emergency for fear of provoking a provincial premier. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we were as concerned that we not offend indigenous governments?

Tomorrow, parliament reconvenes. I hope that there will be all-party agreement to reinstate the rules we had before Christmas to allow virtual debates and votes!

Stay well and stay safe!

Elizabeth

PS

Just a happy note that January 22 was the day that the Treaty to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons became law- without Canada.

Read about my press conference here.

Here’s a lovely idea to plan for Valentine’s Day to cheer up a veteran!

This year, you can encourage Canadians to send a valentine to a Veteran by joining the conversation on social media.

For more information and to get involved, visit veterans.gc.ca

—

You can subscribe to Good Sunday Morning here: Saanich-Gulf Islands Greens

The post Good Sunday Morning – January 24 appeared first on Elizabeth May.

To three important campaigns… In BC to ensure the election of a lot more Green MLA’s on October 24…

In Toronto Centre, to support Green candidate Annamie Paul in the October 26 by-election (to replace former Liberal MP Bill Morneau).

And on-line, for Greens across Canada, we are now voting for the next leader!

If you are a GPC member, check your emails. Yesterday, you should have received an email with this subject line: GPC Leadership Contest 2020 / Course à la chefferie du PVC 2020

That email links to your personal ballot and individual password to allow you to vote. This is a close contest with eight candidates.  They are offering radically different visions for the party. Please do NOT sit this one out!  Every vote will count and every Green should vote.

Please remind your friends. Voting ends on October 3. If your membership has lapsed, you can renew and get your ballot by October 2.

To improve chances of a good Sunday morning, here is some surprising and promising news on the climate front.

At the UN General Assembly last week, Xi Jinping, president of the Peoples Republic of China, announced a significant improvement to its climate goal. Up until now, under Paris, China had committed to making sure its emissions would peak and start declining by 2030.  Now, China has committed to being carbon neutral by 2060.

China is currently the world’s largest polluter, although that does not mean it is primarily responsible for the climate crisis.  The emissions from many decades are still exerting a warming force in the atmosphere, so the United States, formerly the world’s largest polluter, and other industrialized countries bear a large burden of responsibility.

This announcement is being greeted as huge news. According to Climate Action Tracker, the target, if met, should reduce the expected increase in global average temperatures by 0.2-0.3C.  That is not enough to hold global average temperature to no more than 1.5 degrees, but it is very significant.

What has Canada done? Well, our emissions are still climbing.  While most of Europe is well below 1990 levels, as much as 40% below 1990 levels, Canada’s emissions went up again in the last year for which we have records- 2018. We are now 21% above 1990 levels.

This week’s Speech from the Throne (SFT) again committed to carbon neutrality by 2050, without setting a steep target for 2030.  We will never get to carbon neutrality by 2050 with our current weak target. The SFT pledges to “immediately bring forward a plan to exceed Canada’s 2030 climate goal.”

This is very vague. Bear in mind, Canada’s 2030 goal – 30% below 2005 levels by 2030 – is the one left behind by Harper, representing the third time he weakened the target.  It is appalling that in 2020, we still have a Stephen Harper climate target. So, is “exceeding” our climate goal 32% or what is needed – 60%.

And “immediately”?  I know it is only four days later, but what I hear Minister Wilkinson talk about is sometime before the end of the year.

Many commentators pressed the notion that it was too early to really attack the climate crisis in the SFT as we were still not out of the woods on COVID. At the Union of BC Municipalities meeting, Margaret Atwood joined by zoom.  When asked what she thought of the idea that the pandemic had pushed climate to the back burner, she retorted, “I don’t know about you, but my stove has two front burners.”

There is a LOT to absorb from the SFT.  Many previous commitments were recycled- living up to UNDRIP, acting on safe drinking water in indigenous communities, tree planting, and reforms of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. Guaranteed Livable Income was disappointingly not included. There were promises for pharmacare, but looking like a very slow process to get there. Some nice surprises, like a commitment to more local food security, and national standards for long term care homes.  Some exciting ideas around public housing and a few mentions to almost every issue you can think of!  I am including a link to the whole text. https://www.canada.ca/en/privy-council/campaigns/speech-throne/2020/stronger-resilient-canada.html

We are now debating it in Parliament – both in person and at a distance. I am very happy to report that all parties finally got together and agreed that we can vote from our ridings and not crowd into the House of Commons. In fact, with both Paul Manly and me in Ottawa this week, only one of us is allowed in the House at a time.  Good reason to get home and start campaigning for our wonderful BC Green leader Sonia Furstenau and all the great candidates.

Please do click the links below to see what the Green Caucus was able to contribute in the three days we sat in the House this week.

We have still not decided on how we will vote on the SFT.  There is a lot to like in it, but is there enough on climate to support it?  As a caucus, we work by consensus. We may decide not to vote the same way. We are still considering how we best act in the interest of a habitable planet.

There is no risk of the government falling over the vote. Jagmeet Singh, without ever mentioning climate, has already signaled his caucus will vote confidence in Trudeau’s administration. That gives Trudeau all the votes he needs to remain in government.  And frankly, I am very relieved we will not be going into a federal election in a pandemic. John Horgan should be ashamed of himself. But, if he were capable of shame, he would be too shame-faced to go to the polls after pushing through Site C, and fracking and subsidies to LNG, and old growth logging and scuppering our chances for electoral reform and on and on.

Thank goodness BC voters have good options in voting for Green candidates! Go Sonia!

Love and peace –and remember to vote!

Elizabeth

Key Moments

• Elizabeth May pays tribute to the late John Turner, former Prime Minister of Canada
• Paul Manly: Would the leader of the NDP support a ban on fracking?

Question Period and Member’s Statements

• Elizabeth May: When will the government remove toxic fish factories from the ocean?
• Elizabeth May: Canada’s debt to GDP ratio is better than we think
• Elizabeth May: Pharmacare must remain a priority

Statements and Press Releases

• Greens encouraged by some aspects of Speech from the Throne but caution stronger climate action will be needed
• MP Atwin calls on federal government to respect Indigenous fishing rights
• Green support for the Speech from the Throne tied to flattening the climate curve and eliminating poverty

Press Conferences

• Green Party Presents its Throne Speech Expectations – September 23rd, 2020
• Green Party reacts to the Throne Speech – September 23rd, 2020

In Their Own Words​

• Elizabeth May – The Throne Speech Matters, Now More Than Ever (Policy Magazine)
• Paul Manly – Decriminalization will save lives

Petitions

E-petitions open for signature

• e-2827 Support an amendment to the Rome Statute (closes October 2)
• e-2615 Divest CPP from fossil fuel investments (closes October 3)
• e-2783 Declare a public health emergency due to overdose deaths in Canada (closes October 10)
• e-2794 Put a price on carbon (closes October 13)
• e-2797 Cancel prison agribusiness (closes October 13)
• e-2729 Accommodate environmental sensitivities (closes October 19)
• e-2776 Divest CPPIB from open-net pen aquaculture (closes 24 October)
• e-2667 Ensure the human rights of Palestinian children (closes November 3)
• e-2837 Eliminate commercial anchorages in the Southern Gulf Islands (closes November 14)
• e-2708 Hold Turkey accountable for human rights violations (closes November 26)
• e-2828 Reject the Roberts Bank Container Terminal 2 Project (closes December 2)
• e-2836 Implement a GLI for all Canadians (closes December 14)

The post Good Sunday Morning – September 27 appeared first on Elizabeth May.

Elizabeth May (Saanich—Gulf Islands)
2020-06-04 14:02

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to the honourable minister for those responses.

Changing the subject but on the same question of issues that may be falling through the cracks due to COVID-19, the climate crisis continues apace. I mentioned in this place a week ago, in questions, that the new reading of global concentrations in the atmosphere, of 417 parts per million in carbon dioxide is a measurement that’s unprecedented not only over centuries but unprecedented over the last one million years. Since then, a new study in Science News, relying on paleoclimatology, said it’s actually unprecedented over the last 23 million years.

In other words, if we’re looking at flashing red lights on the dashboard of human survival, the flashing red light of climate emergency is getting much brighter and much more frightening than the COVID-19 emergency.

When will this government meet the commitments of the Paris Agreement to a new, revised and more aggressive target within 2020, as required by the Paris Agreement?

Hon. Jonathan Wilkinson (North Vancouver)
2020-06-04 14:03

Mr. Chair, certainly the government agrees with her that this is a crisis. It is a crisis that is moving at us perhaps more slowly than COVID-19, but it is a crisis whose impacts will be devastating if in fact we do not act, both in Canada and as a member of the global community.

This government has made a commitment to develop a plan that will see us meet and exceed our 2030 targets under the Paris Agreement. We have made that commitment. Obviously, we will continue to work to do that in advance of the next COP. We’ve also committed to achieving net zero by 2050, which science tells us we must do. We remain fully committed to doing that.

Of course, I am very happy to have these conversations with my honourable colleague and to continue them as we move forward.

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Here are the numbers: 17% below 2005 levels by 2020 is 126 megatons. Environment Canada is now projecting that it will have achieved only 20 megatons, which, amazingly, is more than current emissions.

Will the government accept that the so-called sector-by-sector, piecemeal, smoke-and-mirrors approach is not working and that we need real climate action?

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Right Hon. Stephen Harper: Mr. Speaker, of course, this is the first government in Canadian history to actually reduce emissions of greenhouse gas.

The Minister of the Environment, the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities and my colleagues have taken a number of important actions, including the announcement on truck harmonization standards, just recently. We will continue to look at ways to move forward on this important file.

The post Questions – The Environment appeared first on Elizabeth May.

“The Minister hopes to distract us from 2011 total emissions which have gone up. According to international reporting published in the prestigious journal Nature Climate Change, Canada’s emissions hit an all time high of 600 million tons in 2011”, said Elizabeth May, Green Party Leader and Member of Parliament for Saanich-Gulf Islands.

“In 1990, Canada emitted 457 million tons. This is a 24% increase since 1990. Canada had committed in Kyoto to reduce its total emissions by 6% between 1990 and 2012. It is a national shame,” added May.

“To talk in terms of per capita numbers is another attempt by Harper’s Conservative to fool Canadians in believing we are on the right track. Total emissions GHG numbers are alarming. Under Stephen Harper as Prime Minister, Canada has cancelled its climate change programmes, continually weakened our targets, repudiated our international obligations, cancelled support for climate science and gagged the scientists who remain. No wonder we are a pariah at international negotiations,” concluded May.

The post Kent’s Claim that Canada’s Emissions are “Historically Low” is Bogus appeared first on Elizabeth May.

Given that all of these things are occurring faster than anticipated, when was the last time the Prime Minister was briefed on the scientific aspects of this crisis, and who briefed him?

Right Hon. Stephen Harper: Mr. Speaker, I am very surprised at this question from the leader of the Green Party.

Just last week on behalf of the government and the minister from Newfoundland and Labrador, we announced one of the most important green energy initiatives in the history of this country, an initiative supporting the Lower Churchill and related developments that will take 4.5 megatons of greenhouse gas emissions out of our system.

Yet the Green Party of Canada stood against it. On this side, we are for helping the environment and making sure there is energy security and prosperity—

Some hon. members: Oh, oh!

The post The Environment appeared first on Elizabeth May.

Elizabeth May: Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the leader of the official opposition if, in his comparison between trade deficits and ecological deficits, he would advance the need to actually do something about the climate crisis rather than point fingers back and forth across the aisle.

The previous Liberal government had a plan in place. It would have reduced emissions. It would have—

Some hon. members: Oh, oh!

Ms. Elizabeth May: I am sorry, Mr. Speaker, I cannot be heard.

Hon. Thomas Mulcair: Actually, Mr. Speaker, the government that I was part of in Quebec City had a plan in place to reduce greenhouse gases. That is why we reduced greenhouse gases.

I was actually at the Kyoto conference, in Montreal. I can inform my colleague that the Liberal Party never did a thing. That is why it has the worst record in the world.

During that conference, I remember its minister, who went on to become its leader, saying that, all of a sudden, he did have a plan, but nobody was ever able to see it. When the Liberals finished their mandate after 13 years, they had done nothing on global warming and they did, indeed, have the worst record in the world.

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“Going forward to negotiate a second commitment period under Kyoto is essential if we want a global agreement to reduce emissions.  Canada has played the role of Kyoto saboteur as the only Kyoto country to reject and repudiate our own legally binding targets,” said Saanich-Gulf Island MP and Green Leader Elizabeth May in response to Kent’s remarks.

Kent pointed to the Copenhagen Accord as a replacement for participating in a second commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol; the first period emission reduction commitments expire at the end of 2012.  “According to the IPCC, the Copenhagen Accord falls far short of necessary cuts to meet what Canada has said we must do globally – avoid hitting a global average temperature rise of two degrees Celsius on,” said May.  “Copenhagen is not a product of the COP process, and is non-binding.  It is not the way forward.”

Kent boasted of Canada’s progress in meeting the Harper Government’s target of a 17% reduction in carbon emissions below 2005 levels by 2020.  This target has been widely criticized for being weaker than Canada’s Kyoto target of a 6 % emissions reduction from 1990 levels by 2012.  The Harper Government’s target will actually lead to a 2.5% increase from 1990 levels.

“If we are so sure we can meet the new weaker target, then why not agree to a second commitment period and negotiate that as our legally binding target?”asked May.  “Refusing to engage with the international community is irresponsible and tarnishes Canada’s global reputation even further.”

Elizabeth May will attend the COP 17 meetings in Durban, South Africa.

The post Canada to sabotage Kyoto? appeared first on Elizabeth May.

International Car Free Day started in the 1990s in Europe and is now celebrated  across the globe, raising awareness of the benefits of alternative  transportation.  A 3% reduction in car trips lowers carbon monoxide emissions by 20% and traffic jams by 30%, improving air quality and also commuters’ stress levels.   “A well-run public transportation system can make  getting places easier and more efficient, saving time and money,” said  May.  “Many families spend almost 15% of their budget on transportation; this could be significantly reduced with proper train and bus systems  in place.”

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