What you need to know about the 2019 Federal Election
By, Ifrah Ikram
Election day is mere weeks away and one topic on the minds of many voters is the environment. Listed here are the major parties and their policies regarding the environment.
Liberal Party of Canada
Recently, Trudeau has come under fire for continuing the building of the Trans Mountain Pipeline, which poses a number of environmental concerns for Canadians. The Liberals have taken initiatives to combat and offset environmental issues that may arise as a result of the Pipeline.
Throughout this process, the Liberals have followed the guidance from the National Energy Board, resulting in a collaborative set of recommendations on the transition into clean energy. Among these recommendations are long-term management for the Salish Sea, updating oil spill response requirements, and marine bird monitoring and protection.
The Liberal Party has shown efforts to improve its relations with Indigenous communities affected by the construction of the Trans Mountain Pipeline while also working towards offsetting harm to the environment. However, Trudeau’s ideas to financially compensate the Indigenous community with the Pipeline do not resolve many of the problems that still exist.
They have also conceived a framework regarding climate change and clean growth within Canada. This includes continuing the use of carbon tax, making a three billion dollar investment to support innovation and bring clean technologies to the market, reducing methane emissions from the oil and gas, and offering federal rebates for opting for zero-emission vehicles. Trudeau has also advocated for the improvement of energy efficient appliances within homes.
Conservative Party of Canada
Under the Harper administration, the Conservatives were known to decrease carbon dioxide emissions. Scheer’s Conservatives are heavily opposed to the carbon tax and want to focus instead on the development and innovation of green technologies.
One example of how they will achieve this is by implementing a limit for CO2 emissions. Those who exceed the limit, such as businesses and corporations, will be required to invest in research, development, and adoption of emission-reducing technology, respective of their industries. The Conservatives also want to promote a Green Homes Tax Credit which is intended to help Canadians pay for energy efficient renovations within their homes.
Overall, in lieu of a carbon tax, the Conservatives want to increase funding for technology and innovations, as well as improve the management of protected lands and wetlands. The protection of waterways is a vital part of this goal, and they will achieve it by ending the dumping of raw sewage into marine or freshwater ecosystems.
New Democratic Party (NDP)
The NDP has outlined specific actions regarding environmental policies. Some of these include stopping fossil fuel subsidies and having carbon-free electricity by 2030. Like the Liberals, the NDP plan on continuing the carbon tax and offering rebates for households under the federal backstop plan while targeting the industries responsible for the greater carbon emissions.
The NDP’s goal regarding transit is to invest in a low-carbon transit project, as well as encouraging transit use by eliminating fares. They also advocate for a high-frequency rail along the Quebec-Windsor corridor to provide a crucial transportation link for communities and businesses alike. Zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) are also an important component of the NDP’s plan to promote a greener Canada. Not only are the NDP looking to increase the manufacturing of ZEVs in Canada, but they are offering an incentive of $15,000 to families to encourage the use of ZEVs and eliminating the federal taxes on Canadian-made ZEVs.
The NDP plans to involve First Nations, Inuits, and Metis communities in the decision-making level while expanding the Indigenous Guardians Program which will invest and support the creation of Indigenous-managed protected areas. They also want to utilize Indigenous traditional and ecological knowledge to improve efforts to keep people safe and respond to emergencies, such as wildfires and floods.
Green Party
The goal of the Green Party is to power both businesses and homes with renewable energy with the use of a National Electric Grid. This would enable abundant hydro, solar, and wind energy resources that would be accessible to all Canadians.
The Green Party also stressed targeted investments in renewable and efficient energy production, digital upgrades, clean-tech manufacturing, and eco-tourism. By investing in tourism, the idea is to decrease reliance on industries that cause environmental harm such as mining.
Another one of their proposed programs is the Establish Green Worker Training Program, which will teach fossil fuel workers about the renewable energy industries. The program includes investing in geothermal, tidal, and wind energy while training workers to develop skills in these areas in order to transition to green technologies.