How Our Next Leader Will Approach Environmental Issues
Take a look at proposed environmental policies of leading parties
Andrea Roberts, Staff Writer
The conservatives under Harper have been blamed for having one of the worst environmental records in the country and this could be because the party’s main goal has been to “protect the economy.”Harper is planning on supporting a number of pipelines in the country such as the Enbridge pipeline and the TransCanada Energy East project. TheConservatives have however, made promises that they will try to reduce carbon emissions 30% below the 2005 levels and work towards eliminating the use of fossil fuels by 2050. The NDP’s environmental and energy plans are in direct opposition to the Conservatives, as they will not support pipelines. They plan to invest in green energy by redirecting one billion dollars that would normally go into fossil fuels.
The Liberals have quite a few environment and energy plans.They oppose the Northern Gateway pipeline but support pipelines. They too want to reduce emissions and place taxes on carbon emission pollution in partnership with the provinces. The Liberals claim they will invest in green technology in the hopes of creating more jobs and phasing out economic reliance on fossil fuels. It appears as if the three leading parties know that they need to balance the environment and the economy if they take power. No matter the outcome of the election, lets hope that the leaders of our country can work with Canadians to find better energy solutions without sacrificing economic growth.
