Defund Trans Mountain, invest in Green New Deal
We are in the middle of a global pandemic, a climate emergency, and an economic recession. These compounding crises demand a bold response. We need a plan to retool our economy so that it works for people and the planet.
The best way to do this is by investing in a Green New Deal that generates millions of decent jobs in a low-carbon economy.
There is a historical precedent in Canada. In the 1930s and 40s, Canada mobilized at an unprecedented scale for World War II. The government created 28 new Crown corporations to meet the urgent needs of that time. We need to mobilize at the same scale for the climate crisis. We could create publicly owned renewable energy providers, a high speed rail service across the country, institutions to retrain workers in the fossil fuel sector, and so much more.
That’s the kind of action we need, not for the government to spend billions of dollars on industries and projects, like the Trans Mountain pipeline, that endanger our future. Instead of investing tens of billions of taxpayer dollars on this project, the Trudeau government should defund Trans Mountain and invest in a Green New Deal.
Regina Montag
North Cowichan
