WINNIPEG – With today’s budget from the new Manitoba Government, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the Progressive Conservatives are going to dither rather than take decisive action to address climate change. The Manitoba Energy Justice Coalition (MEJC) expressed concern that mitigating and adapting to climate change was not a central theme of the throne speech despite Canada’s recent commitments to urgently address climate change at COP21 in Paris this past December; and the terrifying outbreak of forest fires across the boreal forest in western Canada this spring. 

Yesterday, the Trudeau government joined 130 other countries on the world stage to  ratify the Paris Agreement -- and in doing so, pledge to limit global warming to 1.5°C.

Then, immediately afterwards, the government launched a country-wide public consultation process on a national climate strategy. We know that powerful interests like the fossil fuel industry will be at the government’s doorstep, lobbying for the weakest climate action strategy possible. That’s why it will be up to us to be there, every step of the way, showing up and speaking up for bold climate action that works for people and the planet.

In an effort to learn more about the provincial parties' positions on climate, environment, and the Energy East pipeline, the MEJC sent a list of questions to each party. We asked for simple yes or no answers to our very clear, unequivocal questions. Most parties included some commentary along with their answers, while some avoided taking an accountable position by responding with qualifications and conditions. One party (Brian Pallister's Progressive Conservatives) refused to participate at all despite numerous requests by email, telephone, and in person. We have included here our final report card as well as each party's complete response, together with a brief response from MEJC.

To view the full report card, please click this link: MEJC report card all v2

If our province has any hope of achieving carbon neutrality by 2080, it will require some backbone; something the embattled provincial NDP is lacking since the fallout from raising the PST. It will require standing up to industries that have to produce emissions to survive. It will require channelling the populist roots of the New Democratic Party/Co-operative Commonwealth Federation.

WINNIPEG – Manitoba Energy Justice Coalition (MEJC) has expressed concern with the Manitoba Government’s throne speech and priorities going into the next election. The speech was devoid of clear climate policy or positions on key oil pipelines, such as TransCanada’s Energy East proposal.

The throne speech, while promising the necessary expenditures on key infrastructure and committing to protect Manitoba Hydro from privatization, highlighted how the Selinger government has yet to truly take climate change seriously as the foundation of its economic and social policies.

This Briefing was sent to the Manitoba Government and the International Institute for Sustainable Development as part of the consultation process which lead to the Manitoba's Climate Change Plan released on Dec 3, 2015. 

Our climate crisis is urgent. In many ways, the conversation in Manitoba and Canada to date has consisted of attempts to rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic, rather than re-orienting the ship. We need a comprehensive plan to lead Manitoba and Canada into the low-carbon economy that we all agree we need. Doing so means finally confronting the main driver of our energy system and climate change: the extraction and burning of fossil fuels. In Alberta, the Arctic, and even Southwestern Manitoba, we are still investing in fossil fuel extraction and exploration. Science tells us 75-85% of our proven reserves has to stay in the ground, and we need to start acting as if we believe it.