OTTAWA – The Green Party of Canada is outraged by the Liberal government’s blatant hypocrisy regarding climate science funding. After squandering a staggering $34 billion on the Trans Mountain Pipeline, the government now claims that supporting climate scientists is too expensive.
The decision to pull funding for Canadian scientists to attend critical Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) conferences reveals a shocking disregard for the urgency of the climate crisis.
“It is obscene that this government thinks the pittance we pay for Canadian scientists to participate in Nobel Prize winning IPCC science is too much, but billions for pipelines is not enough,” says co-Leader of the Green Party Elizabeth May. “This is chicken feed; laughable compared to the billions wasted on fossil fuel infrastructure.”
Why is the Liberal government turning its back on the vital science that informs climate policy? Recently, elected officials from municipalities across the country have implored the federal government to take decisive climate action. The inconsistency in Liberal rhetoric and action is glaring, and Canadians deserve better.
“This abandonment of climate science not only undermines our domestic efforts,” said co-Leader Jonathan Pedneault, “but also signals a step away from Canada’s tradition of multilateralism. The refusal to engage with the IPCC—an essential source of the world’s latest climate knowledge—frankly, puts us in terrible company.”
Canada must be a leader in climate science, especially at a time when climate denial is thriving. The inaction from the major parties shows just how desperate the situation has become.
Once again, we are reminded why Green voices are desperately needed in Parliament. The major parties buckle under pressure, shunning the tough choices required to protect our planet. The Green Party remains steadfast in our commitment to uphold the integrity of science and urgently address the climate crisis.
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