You don’t have to be a climate expert to partcipate… climate change is already affecting all of our lives. The policies our governments make will either help or make it worse. So far, Canadian policies have only made it worse.
The Government of Canada is holding another Climate Consultation. Despite the fact they completely ignored the public input from the 2016 in-person Climate Consultation, it is important for every Canadian concerned about the Climate Crisis to participate. This time, they don’t have a majority government, so they have to at least pretend to listen to us.
The deadline for submissions is tonight at midnight, so to make it easier, I’ve reproduced the questions so you can think about what you will say before you go online. It’s important to note that the “tell us more” essay questions each have a 5,000 character limit.
Privacy
They’ve made this an anonymous survey, and we are repeatedly advised not to use any identifying information in our answers. And yet the largest part of the survey is asking for our demographic information, even though they provide a “prefer not to say” answer to each of the demographic questions. Although privacy is an important issue to me, very often we have to make tradeoffs, particularly if we want our voice heard. And the government is more likely to accept our answers as legitimate if we indicate we are Canadians.
(I would also like to point out that if you would be liable to negative repercussions from the government, it would be better to use your own anonymizing method, perhaps using a public access machine and going through TOR. If this is impossible, you would do better not to make a submission at all).
THE SURVEYYou’ll find the survey here:https://eccc.sondage-survey.ca/f/s.aspx?s=4132165a-69ff-455b-9208-24be193aa656&lang=EN&r=94a20c2e-88fb-4585-989c-82da43aff18c
Today the correct link for the consultation survey is https://eccc.sondage-survey.ca/f/LanguageSelection.aspx?s=4132165a-69ff-455b-9208-24be193aa656.
(likely due to the deadline change)
Q1. What opportunities do you think the Government of Canada should pursue to reduce emissions by 40-45% below 2005 levels by 2030 and position Canada to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, including in any or all of the following economic sectors? Please elaborate on your answers where appropriate, including any specific insights on policy opportunities or initiatives.
• Buildings
• Electricity
• Heavy industry, including oil and gas
• Transportation
• Agriculture and waste
• Nature-based climate solutions
• Economy-wide (e.g., carbon pricing, climate-risk disclosure, sustainable finance, etc.)
• Other, please specify
Please tell us more:
Q2. What do you see as the barriers or challenges to reducing emissions in these sectors? Do you have suggestions on how to overcome these barriers?
Q3. What broader economic, technological, or social challenges and opportunities do you foresee resulting from efforts to reduce emissions in these sectors? For example, opportunities associated with economic diversification across sectors. Do you have suggestions on how to address these challenges and opportunities?
Q4. Looking beyond 2030, what enabling measures, strategies or technological pathways do you think the Government of Canada should put in place now to ensure that Canada is on track to net-zero emissions by 2050?
Q5. What broader economic, technological, or social issues to you foresee as a result of the transition to a net-zero economy in Canada? Do you have suggestions on how to address these issues?
Q6. How would you like to be engaged on Canada’s climate plans moving forward? How often should this engagement occur, and what method or format would be preferable?
Demographic questions
D1. In what capacity are you completing this engagement process? As an:
• Individual
• Representative of a business/business association
• Representative of an Indigenous organization
• Representative of a not for profit organization such as a charity or academic organization
• Representative of a government organization
• Prefer not to say
D2. What is your province or territory?
• Alberta
• British Columbia
• Manitoba
• New Brunswick
• Newfoundland and Labrador
• Nova Scotia
• Ontario
• Prince Edward Island
• Quebec
• Saskatchewan
• Northwest Territories
• Nunavut
• Yukon
• Outside of Canada
• Prefer not to say
D3. Please select the option that best relates to your sector (business).
• Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting
• Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction
• Utilities
• Construction
• Manufacturing
• Wholesale Trade
• Retail Trade
• Transportation and Warehousing
• Information and Cultural Industries
• Finance and Insurance
• Real Estate and Rental and Leasing
• Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
• Management of Companies and Enterprises
• Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services
• Educational Services
• Health Care and Social Assistance
• Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation
• Accommodation and Food Services
• Public Administration
• Other, please specify
• Prefer not to say
D4. Which of the following age groups do you fall into? (individual)
• Under 24
• 25 to 39
• 40 to 64
• 65+
• Prefer not to say
D5. How do you identify yourself? (individual)
• Woman
• Man
• Non-binary
• Other
• Prefer not to say
D6. Do you identify as any of the following? Select all that apply (individual)
• First Nations
• Inuit
• Métis
• Racialized Canadian
• LGBTQ2S+ person
• Person with a disability
• Official language minority
• New immigrant to Canada
• None of them
• Prefer not to say
CONCLUSION
When you’ve reach the end of the survey you can go vack and review or change your answers. When you’re happy about it, press the [SUBMIT] button.
Points You might want to bring up:
Canada must adopt a 2030 emissions reduction target of at least 50%, but 60% would be better.
In 2015 we were promised an end to fossil fuel subsidies. Now we’re told that will finally happen in 2023. That isn’t good enough: it needs to happen now,
Since climate change is an existential threat, the government must spend whatever it will take.
Stop searching for new fossil fuel projects.
Stop building new fossil fuel infrastructure, like pipelines and LNG facilities.
CONSULTATION RESOURCES
If you’re looking for more suggestions, the Green Party’s Mission Possible plan is a great place to start.
- Declare a Climate Emergency
Accept, at every level of government, that climate is not an environmental issue. It is the gravest security threat the world has ever seen. - Establish an inner cabinet of all parties
Modelled on the war cabinets of Mackenzie King and Winston Churchill, parties will work together to ensure that climate is no longer treated like a political football. It requires all hands on deck. - Set stringent new targets
Establish our new target and file it as Canada’s Nationally Determined Contribution with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change: 60 per cent GHG reductions against 2005 levels by 2030; zero emissions by 2050. - Assume leadership
Attend the next climate negotiation in Chile this year and press other countries to also double their efforts. - Respect evidence
Restore funding of climate research within the Government of Canada and in the network of universities that received financial support before 2011. - Maintain carbon pricing
Revenue neutrality will be achieved through carbon fee and dividend and we will eliminate all subsidies to fossil fuels. - Ban fracking
No exceptions. It destroys ecosystems, contaminates ground and surface water, endangers our health and it’s a major source of GHGs. - Green the grid
By 2030, remove all fossil fuel generation from our national east-west electricity grid. - And modernize the grid
By 2030, rebuild and revamp the east-west electricity grid to ensure that renewable energy can be transmitted from one province to another. - Plug in to EVs
By 2030 ensure all new cars are electric. By 2040, replace all internal combustion engine vehicles with electric vehicles, working with car makers to develop EVs that can replace working vehicles for Canadians in rural areas. Build a cross-country electric vehicle charging system so that drivers can cruise from St. John’s, NL to Prince Rupert, B.C. – with seamless ease. - Get Canada back on track
Modernize VIA Rail, expand service and ensure trans-modal connections across Canada to light rail and electric buses, so that no one in rural and remote areas of Canada lacks efficient, affordable and safe public transit. - Complete a national building retrofit
Create millions of new, well-paying jobs in the trades by retrofitting every building in Canada – residential, commercial, and institutional – to be carbon neutral by 2030. - Turn off the tap to oil imports
End all imports of foreign oil. As fossil fuel use declines, use only Canadian fossil fuels and allow investment in upgraders to turn Canadian solid bitumen into gas, diesel, propane and other products for the Canadian market, providing jobs in Alberta. By 2050, shift all Canadian bitumen from fuel to feedstock for the petrochemical industry. - Switch to bio-diesel
Promote the development of local, small scale bio-diesel production, primarily relying on used vegetable fat from restaurants. Mandate the switch to bio-diesel for agricultural, fishing and forestry equipment. - Create new partnerships for renewables
Form partnerships with Indigenous peoples, providing economic opportunities by ramping up renewables on their lands. Harness abandoned deep oil wells, wherever feasible, for geothermal energy, using workers who drilled the wells to manage the renewable energy generation. - Call for all hands on deck
Engage every municipality and community organization, as well as every school and university to step up and plant trees, install solar panels, heat pumps, assist in retrofitting buildings to maximize energy efficiency. - Prioritize adaptation
Invest significant resources in adaptation measures to protect Canadian resource sectors such as agriculture, fishing and forestry from the ravages of climate change. Review all infrastructure investments for adaptation to climate change. Map flood plains, tornado corridors and other areas of natural vulnerability and adjust land use plans accordingly. - Change planes
Cancel the purchase of F35s and buy more water bombers to protect communities from forest fires. Cut standing dead timber to establish fire breaks and save lives. - Curtail the “other” GHG sources
Address the fossil fuel use that falls outside the Paris Agreement – emissions from international shipping, aviation and the military. - Restore carbon sinks
Launch a global effort to restore carbon sinks, focusing on replanting forests and restoring the planet’s mangrove forests as quickly as possible.
https://www.greenparty.ca/en/mission-possible
Climate Messengers Canada has put together this excellent Toolkit to help answer the survey questions.
If you prefer, LEADNOW has put together an identifiable letter form response. https://leadnow.ca/climate-consultation/ I think it better to submit your resonse in the manner the government has asked for, but the most important thing is to submit something.
Kitchener—Conestoga Greens 