OTTAWA -- On the same day Paul Manly was sworn in as Canada’s second elected Green Party MP, Greens across Europe were celebrating historic results in elections for the European Parliament. Greens picked up 17 new seats to bring their total to 69 seats and make them the body’s third largest group
Former Leader of the British Green Party, Caroline Lucas, credits the party’s position on the climate crisis for mobilizing voters across Europea to choose Green MEPs. In the UK, the number of Green MEPs went from three to seven with the party’s share of the vote increasing by 4.6 per cent to 12.5 per cent.
“The Green Wave happening in Europe is similar to what we’re seeing here in Canada,” said Green Party of Canada Leader Elizabeth May (MP, Saanigh-Gulf Islands). ‘We’re in a climate emergency and citizens want their governments to take strong action immediately. Greta Thunberg, the young Swedih activist has mobilized millions of students globally to participate in climate action strikes.
“Last year’s report from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change could not have been clearer: unless we restrict the global average temperature increase below 1.5 C we risk the loss of a liveable biosphere.
“The Green Party’s recently issued Mission: Possible is a 20-point action plan for Canada to transition to a green economy. We must cut fossil fuel use in half by 2030 and end it altogether by 2050.”
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