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Oakville candidates and their party's climate policies

A breakdown of national platforms and local candidates.

Climate change is one of the most critical issues to Canadian voters and will factor strongly in Monday's election.  Environmental issues have already become a point of contention during debates between party leaders, which makes sense. 2021 has been a bad year for the Canadian climate, as the country has grappled with the effects of increasingly frequent natural disasters like wildfires and hurricanes.

An April poll conducted by IPSOS found that 64% of Canadians believed the climate crisis to be as serious and time-sensitive as the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, a damning UN climate report brought the already pressing issue to the forefront of even more Canadian minds. To engage with the subject, Oakville candidates participated in a debate focused on climate last week.

Oakville greenspace 2 | Courtesy of Thomas Desormeaux
Oakville greenspace 2 | Courtesy of Thomas Desormeaux

Effects on Oakville and Canada

This summer has shown some of the dramatic consequences of man-made climate change. Massive fires in the West and the prairies sent billows of smoke across the continent. It’s not just other parts of the country experiencing changes. The consensus is that Southern Ontario is warming faster than many other parts of Canada.

According to a report prepared by Halton Region, Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Oakville and surrounding areas are expected to rise by 80% by 2050. This is harmful to Oakville’s many green spaces and natural environments and has devastating agricultural and economic consequences. Higher emissions lead to higher temperatures and extreme weather events like floods, ice storms and rainstorms.

Oakville greenspace | Courtesy of Thomas Desormeaux
Oakville greenspace | Courtesy of Thomas Desormeaux

Andrea Robinson has worked for the British Columbia Wildfire Service for four years. She’s noticed climate-related events worsen over her time there.

“Three of the worst wildfire seasons have been in the last five years,” Robinson said. “It was pretty intense this year; it was a lot.”

Robinson said that it’s difficult for firefighting crews to be any more prepared than they are for the catastrophic fires, especially when they’ve been as bad as this year.

“Once the fires get this bad, to that level and that intensity, there isn’t a lot that can stop them,” she said. “And I think that’s something people don’t realize.” She hopes voters will keep climate-related problems like wildfires at the forefront of their minds when they go to the ballot box this September.

So, where do the candidates stand on the crucial climate issues?

Breakdown of Party Platforms

The Conservative Party

  • Local candidates: Hanan Rizkalla (Oakville North – Burlington) Kerry Colborne (Oakville)
  • Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent
  • Carbon tax of $20/ tonne increasing to $50/tonne over time
  • Take carbon tax funds and redistribute the money to Canadians for purchases of green technology
  • Commit to finishing construction of Trans Mountain pipeline
  • Explore the idea of Carbon Tariffs against other nations with high levels of emissions
  • The platform has been costed

The Green Party

  • Local candidates: Bruno Sousa (Oakville North – Burlington) Oriana Knox (Oakville)
  • A focus on coupling environmental justice with social justice
  • Require the Canadian Pension Plan to divest from the fossil fuel industry
  • A 60 percent reduction in Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 2030
  • Net-zero emissions by 2050
  • Cancel all pipeline projects and fracking operations. End the leasing of Federal Land to fossil fuel production
  • Increase the carbon tax by 25$ each year from 2022 to 2030, resulting in an eventual price of $275/tonne
  • Institute a Carbon Border Adjustment program
  • Oriana Knox believes that discussions about the economic impact of environmental programs ignore the catastrophic economic consequences of total climate disaster.
  • Costing for the platform has not been released at time of publishing

The Liberal Party

  • Local candidates: Pam Damoff (Oakville North – Burlington), Anita Anand (Oakville)
  • Cut emissions by 40-45 percent by 2030
  • Net-zero emissions by 2050
  • Attempt to fund green shift in the economy through oil pipeline revenue
  • Finish construction/expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline
  • Increase the existing $40/tonne carbon tax to $170/tonne by 2030
  • Anita Anand pointed to green policy her government enacted in Oakville, like electrifying the city's fleet of buses and an electric car production deal with the Ford Plant
  • The platform has been costed

The New Democrat Party

  • Local candidates: Lenaee Dupuis (Oakville North – Burlington) Jerome Adamo (Oakville)
  • Increase the existing $40/tonne carbon tax to $170/tonne by 2030
  • Cut emissions by 50 percent in 2030
  • Say they will not "force" Indigenous communities or provinces to support pipelines built through their land.
  • Jerome Adamo believes the same urgency that was applied to COVID-19 response must be applied to climate change.
  • The platform has been costed

People’s Party of Canada

  • Local candidates: Gilbert Jubinville (Oakville North – Burlington) JD Meany (Oakville)
  • Disagree that there is evidence climate change is linked to human activity
  • Support all pipeline projects
  • Repeal Bills C-48 (Oil Tanker Moratorium) and C-69 (Impact Assessment Act and Canadian Energy Regulator Act)
  • Withdraw from the Paris accord and abandon emissions targets
  • Counter “anti-oil propaganda.”
  • JD Meanie is committed to anti-pollution policies and land management

Transitioning from an oil-based economy

According to the Federal Government's National Issues Report, Canada’s climate is warming at twice the rate of the global average. The Liberal government has been criticized for an alleged lack of commitment to emissions targets over its six years in office. NDP leader Jagmeet Singh consistently raises the fact that Canada under Trudeau has created the most emissions of any G7 country, a statement backed up by a report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

The Prime Minister has hit back, saying that his party will hit 2050 emission targets set out in the Paris Accord and that other parties are underestimating the difficulties of steering an energy-based economy towards a green future. Canada and its energy policies going forwards will have international implications.

Carbon Tax and Climate Tariffs

When discussing climate policy, one factor to consider is how Canada can compete on the world stage after their environmental-focused energy policies. Cooperation with major trading partners like the United States and the European Union form the strategy behind policies like Carbon Taxes.

The Conservative Party platform points out that the U.S. response still does not include a carbon tax. However, the country has been considering a Carbon Adjustment Tariff, which imposes taxes on imported commodities that create a lot of emissions during their production.

Some Canadian parties have been exploring the idea of a Carbon Adjustment Tariff, a step that the E.U. took earlier this summer. CATs could be instrumental in making sure that all countries follow systems that work towards fewer emissions.

The details and differences between party platforms can be slight in some areas, but experts agree that nuance matters. Different emissions targets and trade policies can have far-reaching impacts across the globe, across Canada, and here in Oakville.

"Long term, these things are not going to be one-offs. They're going to keep happening," said Karine Speckert, who works for the Halton Environmental Network. "We need to recognize the things around us to protect and preserve. Climate change affects all of those things that we value."

As to what Canadians should be asking of their elected representatives on September 20, Karine thinks climate has to be on the agenda. 

"How can we assure that our climate and our communities are going to be protected in the long term?"


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