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NDP set to unveil $15-billion climate plan that would slash greenhouse gas emissions


thejazz97

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 OTTAWA—The NDP is pledging to spend $15 billion on a new environment plan to create 300,000 jobs and put Canada on a track to exceed its current emissions target under the Paris Agreement to fight climate change.

 


 

Billed as “the most comprehensive environmental plan the NDP has ever proposed,” the party’s election-ready green platform claims a New Democrat government in Ottawa would spend billions to aggressively slash greenhouse gas emissions and spur economic growth.

“It becomes more clear each day that the time for talk on climate change and economic inequality is over,” says NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh in a preamble to the plan, which was provided to the Star in advance of its release Friday morning.

“It’s time to act, and it’s time to fight like our future depends on it, because it does,” Singh says. 

 

Titled “Power to Change: A new deal for climate action and good jobs,” the plan proposes to spend at least $6.5 billion on public transit and transportation. The NDP would create a new, “permanent” mechanism for direct and predictable funding for public transit, and push for all public transportation to be electric by 2030. An NDP government would also help willing cities and provinces pay to make public transit free, the plan says. 

To push Canadians toward cleaner cars, the NDP would provide rebates of at least $5,000 and waive federal sales tax when people buy new zero-emission vehicles. While the Liberals already implemented $5,000 rebates this year, the plan aims to spur the domestic auto industry by increasing those rebates to $15,000 when people by zero-emission vehicles that are made in Canada. The NDP would also build charging stations at federal buildings and Canada Post locations and offer residents up to $600 to install their own plug-in chargers at home. 

 

Meanwhile, the party would make Canada’s electrical grid and all new buildings emissions-free by 2030. It would pursue energy-efficient retrofits in all buildings across the country by 2050, create a $3-billion “Canadian Climate Bank” to support low-carbon developments, and implement a smattering of programs to help workers, including unspecified requirements for employers to spend money for worker training and new rules to allow people to use employment insurance to pay for training programs before they get laid off. 

The plan would also ban single-use plastics across the country by 2022 and create an Environmental Bill of Rights to “ensure that all communities can enjoy a guarantee to clean water, land and air.”

As a whole, the NDP says the plan would cost more than $15 billion in the first mandate of a New Democrat government. Some of this money would come from cancelling an estimated $3.3 billion in subsidies currently given to the fossil fuel industry, the plan says. The party would also change the tax system to make sure “the wealthiest pay their fair share.” Party spokesperson Mélanie Richer said this means closing tax loopholes, tackling tax evasion, and making changes to rake in more money from capital gains taxes. 

The party claims the environment plan would create “at least 300,000 good jobs within a first mandate” and reduce Canada’s emissions to 38 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030.

 

The current target, set by the former Conservative government and maintained by the Liberals, is to slash emissions to 30 per cent below 2005 levels by that year. Government projections released last December say Canada is on track to fall short of that target by 79 million tonnes of emissions, though Liberal Environment Minister Catherine McKenna insists future innovation and the impacts of policies that haven’t been modelled yet will close that gap. 

 

But the NDP acknowledges its plan to exceed this target is only “an important first step.” The party’s plan says further reductions will be needed to place Canada in line with the strictures of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which in a dire report last October said global emissions will need to be cut in half by 2030 and hit net-zero by mid-century if the world is to keep global warming above pre-Industrial temperatures to just 1.5 degrees C. 

 

Exceeding that would bring calamitous consequences, the report says, including species extinctions, more extreme weather like floods, wildfires, droughts and storms, shrinking glaciers and Arctic ice, the disappearance of coral reefs and significantly rising sea levels. 

 

In the face of that, the NDP plan would declare a “climate emergency” and create a legal requirement for Canada to hit “ambitious, science-based” targets in line with keeping warming below 1.5 degrees. A new “Climate Accountability Office” would perform regular audits on Canada’s progress toward this new goal, which isn’t specified in the plan, but which Singh has previously described as about 40 to 50 per cent below current emissions levels. 

 

The NDP would also keep the Liberal government’s federally-enforced minimum carbon price, a policy that has fuelled intense opposition from federal Conservative and provincial governments in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and New Brunswick. But without providing any details, the NDP says it would make the government’s carbon price rebates that offset increased costs “fairer,” while also “rolling back” the performance standards pricing system the government designed for heavy polluters. The system means industries that emit more than an average set for their sector will pay a price, and those that emit less than average will earn credits they can sell for cash. 

 

Asked how the NDP would change this, Richer, the party spokesperson, said “millionaires shouldn’t be getting rebate cheques, and heavy emitters won’t be exempt from the industrial carbon price.” 

In his preamble to the plan, Singh attacks Liberals and Conservatives for not having “the courage to do what is needed” to fight climate change — and singles out Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for his government’s decision to buy the Trans Mountain pipeline for $4.5 billion from Kinder Morgan, a Texas-based oil company.

 

In recent weeks, however, the Green party has emerged as a more visible force in the political debate around climate change. The Greens placed a strong third in a February byelection in Outremont — a riding that former NDP leader Thomas Mulcair held for a decade — and then defeated the NDP on May 6 in the British Columbia riding of Nanaimo—Ladysmith. 

Prominent New Democrat Svend Robinson called it a “wake up call” for the party, and in the wake of the defeat Singh walked back his support for natural gas developments in northern B.C., including the $40-billion LNG Canada export terminal and proposed Coastal GasLink pipeline that is opposed by some hereditary Wet’suwet’en chiefs along the route. 

The Greens own environment platformcalls for a halt to all new fossil fuel development in Canada and cross-party co-operation to reduce emissions to 60 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030. 

 

The Liberals, meanwhile, have defended their carbon price from Conservative attacks, and point to billions of dollars the government has spent on public transit and support for clean technology, while promising to remove coal-fired energy from the power grid by 2030 and implement stricter standards for clean fuel. 

The Conservatives vow to reduce emissions without a national carbon price, and are set to release their environmental platform in the coming weeks.

https://www.thestar.com/politics/federal/2019/05/31/ndp-set-to-unveil-15-billion-climate-plan-that-would-slash-greenhouse-gas-emissions.html

Edited by thejazz97
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“millionaires shouldn’t be getting rebate cheques"

 

Never really understood this... I mean im all for helping out the less fortunate or whatever but why do we need to punish people for being successful specially if they are helping out (paying taxes, cutting emission etc) like the rest?

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7 minutes ago, Ronaldoescobar said:

“millionaires shouldn’t be getting rebate cheques"

 

Never really understood this... I mean im all for helping out the less fortunate or whatever but why do we need to punish people for being successful specially if they are helping out (paying taxes, cutting emission etc) like the rest?

The idea is that they're coupling action on climate change with action on economic inequality. Millionaires can survive without rebate cheques, so why not spare them and work to eliminate poverty instead? 

 

The only place I really see this being an issue is with agriculture, where farmers might be technically rich but have low profit margins - if any.

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24 minutes ago, Rob_Zepp said:

The USA has reduced total GHG emissions over the last decade, including during the three years under Trump, while increasing their oil production by roughly 5 million barrels per day, which is more than Canada’s total oil production.  All done without a carbon tax.   In Canada's Provinces that have had a carbon tax in place, all have had increases in GHG emissions.

 

Carbon taxes are clearly the way to go...... :picard:

different  problems Rob. The US has achieved a reduction thanks to an increase in shale natural gas usage vs coal. We don't rely on  coal anywhere near as much as the US so we need other solutions. And the US is still one of the largest per capita and overall emitters in the world so yeah they got a reduction but are still not good. 

 

And you're not telling the truth about BCs tax. Yes there's been a recent up tick but overall emissions are way down since the tax has been in place. We simply have too many people moving here and driving so its gone up a bit. Better transit and incentives to get greener cars (so taxes and rebates) will solve it. 

Edited by Jimmy McGill
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2 minutes ago, thejazz97 said:

The idea is that they're coupling action on climate change with action on economic inequality. Millionaires can survive without rebate cheques, so why not spare them and work to eliminate poverty instead? 

 

The only place I really see this being an issue is with agriculture, where farmers might be technically rich but have low profit margins - if any.

I do see a point but couldnt they just take from everyone (proportionally - slightly similar to taxes) to eliminate poverty as opposed to just targeting a specific net worth/income range? Just wondering out loud as I really dont believe they have any chance of forming the next government anyway. 

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8 minutes ago, Ronaldoescobar said:

I do see a point but couldnt they just take from everyone (proportionally - slightly similar to taxes) to eliminate poverty as opposed to just targeting a specific net worth/income range? Just wondering out loud as I really dont believe they have any chance of forming the next government anyway. 

They really don't, apart from a Lib-NDP coalition or strong-arming a Liberal minority.

 

That being said, think of how taxes are taken - usually, everyone below a certain tax bracket receives all their money back (if they've had it paid automatically). And if you make below the basic amount, you aren't taxed at all.

 

It would be similar to that, but flip it: when the rebates are given, people whose income is above a certain level will not receive them. Because they can afford it. Generally. My bigger issue is with subsidies and tax loopholes for rich people and corporations, but if those are on the docket as well, this is the next step in eliminating poverty.

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1 hour ago, goalie13 said:

It's easy to say whatever you want when there's no chance of actually forming government.

The NDP know they will not form government.  They are presenting this climate change plan to fend off the Green Party who are taking a huge chuck of votes away from the NDP.

 

The Greens are surpassing the NDP in popularity in some parts of Canada.  Look what happened in PEI where the Greens  finished 2nd and became the official opposition.  Even more surprising, the Greens beat the NDP in Nanaimo to take the seat which used to be a NDP strong hold.

 

So, basically it is a fight between the Greens and NDP for 3rd position behind the Libs and the Cons.   The survival of the NDP is at stake.

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9 minutes ago, DonLever said:

The NDP know they will not form government.  They are presenting this climate change plan to fend off the Green Party who are taking a huge chuck of votes away from the NDP.

 

The Greens are surpassing the NDP in popularity in some parts of Canada.  Look what happened in PEI where the Greens  finished 2nd and became the official opposition.  Even more surprising, the Greens beat the NDP in Nanaimo to take the seat which used to be a NDP strong hold.

 

So, basically it is a fight between the Greens and NDP for 3rd position behind the Libs and the Cons.   The survival of the NDP is at stake.

the NDP are at risk of losing party status in the next election under Jagmeet. He's the worst choice they've made in a leader in decades. 

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57 minutes ago, Jimmy McGill said:

the NDP are at risk of losing party status in the next election under Jagmeet. He's the worst choice they've made in a leader in decades. 

The NDP shouldn't be a party anyway.  It's ironic that this is the supposedly the party of the working class, when philosophy is one that kills the economy, and ruins the lives of the working class.   

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Just now, Alflives said:

The NDP shouldn't be a party anyway.  It's ironic that this is the supposedly the party of the working class, when philosophy is one that kills the economy, and ruins the lives of the working class.   

you're walking dangerous ground there in BC my friend. I really dislike the us vs. them thing that they have with business, but it is what it is. Horgans doing better than I thought he would but of course he's in a precarious position at the moment. 

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2 minutes ago, Jimmy McGill said:

you're walking dangerous ground there in BC my friend. I really dislike the us vs. them thing that they have with business, but it is what it is. Horgans doing better than I thought he would but of course he's in a precarious position at the moment. 

The NDP under Horgan are a contradiction of philosophy.  They fight like crazy to limit the oil and gas industry and cars etc.  Yet they take the tolls off bridges used by those vehicles they are fighting against.  The NDP, and all left wing parties will soon be only mentioned in history books.  Our western society is running our of money.  We can no longer afford the socialist policies of the left, while keeping our comfortable lifestyles.  It's either leftist views, and their costs, or give up comfy life.  People will not give up comfy.   

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