OTTAWA - In a move designed to fool Canadians and appease their Big Oil friends, the NDP-backed Liberal government announced today that its « Clean Electricity Regulations » will designate the production of electricity from fossil fuels like gas and diesel as « clean electricity, » if it meets certain criteria.
Canadians know that a 100% renewable electricity grid is possible and viable in this country. Wind and solar power are now the cheapest forms of electricity generation, and Canada has a solid base of hydroelectric generation to draw on.
Yet, today’s move indicates once again that the NDP-backed Liberal government will do all it can to prolong the delusional carbon-based economy that is choking our communities and killing the planet.
"This government’s abject greenwashing efforts should come as no surprise. After all, we’ve know for a while that they take their cues from Shell, Suncor and other Big Oil actors that make billions on the back of our tax money, our health and our security, " said Jonathan Pedneault, Green Party Deputy Leader. "No one believes that cigarettes are part of the cure for lung cancer. Why persist in making us believe that diesel and gas will stem the destruction climate change is wrecking upon so many in this country?"
The Green Party of Canada calls on this government to act, not equivocate: all public subsidies to privately-owned oil and gas operations must stop and be redirected to transitioning our economy away from fossil fuels. Greenwashing won’t save this country, nor the planet. Fossil fuels cannot be part of the solution.
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