OTTAWA – Green Party Leader Elizabeth May (MP, Saanich-Gulf Islands) slammed the Trudeau administration for committing billions of dollars of public money to the reckless Trans Mountain pipeline.
“Yesterday, Parliament passed a Liberal motion declaring a climate emergency. Today, Prime Minister Trudeau worsened the climate crisis with infrastructure destined to expand and prolong oil sands emissions," said Ms.May. “This announcement represents cynicism and hypocrisy at a level that is quite breathtaking.
“We cannot achieve our Paris commitment to keep global average temperature increase to 1.5 degrees C, the level required to ensure that we continue to have a livable world, and build a pipeline.”
Ms. May described Prime Minister Trudeau’s promise to invest pipeline profits in clean energy projects as a cynical bait and switch that would fool no one. “If you’re serious about fighting climate change, you invest public funds in renewable energy. You don’t invest them in a bitumen pipeline,” she said. “And there’s no guarantee that this pipeline will ever turn a profit anyway - in fact it almost certainly won’t.”
Ms. May predicted that the project would face new court challenges from Indigenous groups who still have not been adequately consulted and from environmental groups. "This decision pushes our endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales closer to extinction."
“We’re in a climate emergency that requires us to start rapidly reducing the use of fossil fuels,” said Ms. May. “The pipeline expansion requires the increases in fossil fuel production in Canada. No amount of spin can square that circle.”
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For more information or to arrange an interview contact:
Rosie Emery
Press Secretary
613-562-4916x206
rosie.emery@greenparty.ca