OTTAWA – The Green Party of Canada today applauds Premiers Kathleen Wynne of Ontario and Philippe Couillard of Quebec for joining their call for a national energy strategy.
All of the provincial and territorial premiers, along with the leaders of the five national Aboriginal organizations, are in Charlottetown for the 55th annual Council of the Federation Premiers Conference, and discussion of a national energy strategy is on the agenda.
“Shipping unprocessed oil sands bitumen to foreign refineries is the very opposite of strategic – In fact, it is an economic and an environmental disaster in the making,” said Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party of Canada and MP for Saanich–Gulf Islands. “Our party has long advocated for a national energy strategy for taking on the twin challenges of energy security and climate change, and I applaud the Premiers for recognizing that this needs to be a priority for Canada.”
“My vision is of a national energy strategy that takes an innovative approach to resource extraction,” said Green Deputy Leader Bruce Hyer, MP for Thunder Bay–Superior North. “It’s realistic, but serious about tackling climate change. It must include a price on carbon, and the best way to do that is by implementing Carbon Fee and Dividend, which would see every penny returned directly to Canadian citizens.”
Added Hyer: “A national energy strategy is key to ensuring that our non-renewable sources are used sustainably, while at the same time taking climate disruption seriously and shifting us toward renewable sources.”
In addition to implementing a Carbon Fee and Dividend program, the Green Party of Canada supports the creation of a Strategic Petroleum Reserve and a moratorium on the transport of unprocessed bitumen within Canada.
-30-
Contact:
Julian Morelli
Director of Communications
Green Party of Canada
(613) 614 4916
julian.morelli@greenparty.ca