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M-1 Green New Deal

43rd Parliament, 1st Session

Motion Text

That, in the opinion of the House:

(a) it is the duty of the government to create a Green New Deal (i) to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions through a fair and just transition for all communities and workers, (ii) to create millions of good, high-wage jobs and ensure prosperity and economic security for all Canadians, (iii) to invest in Canada’s infrastructure and industry to sustainably meet the challenges of the 21st century, (iv) to secure for all people of Canada for generations to come clean air and water, climate and community resiliency, healthy food, access to nature, and a sustainable environment, (v) to promote justice and equity by stopping current, preventing future, and repairing historic oppression of Indigenous Peoples (First Nations, Métis, and Inuit), racialized persons, non-dominant cultural, ethnic, religious and linguistic communities, immigrants and newcomers, youth, LGBTQ2S+ persons, the poor, low-income workers, women, the elderly, the unhoused, people with disabilities, migrant communities, deindustrialized communities and depopulated rural communities (referred to in this motion as "frontline and vulnerable communities");

(b) the goals described in paragraph (a) above (referred to in this motion as the "Green New Deal goals") should be accomplished through a 10-year national mobilization (referred to in this resolution as the "Green New Deal mobilization") that will require (i) building resiliency against climate-change-related disasters, such as extreme weather, including by leveraging funding and providing investments for community-defined projects and strategies, (ii) repairing and upgrading Canada’s infrastructure, including by eliminating pollution and greenhouse gas emissions as much as technologically feasible, by guaranteeing universal access to clean water by reducing the risks posed by flooding and other climate impacts, and by ensuring that any infrastructure spending considered by Parliament addresses climate change, (iii) meeting 100 percent of the power demand in Canada through clean, renewable, and zero-emission energy sources, including by dramatically expanding and upgrading existing renewable power sources and by deploying new capacity, (iv) building or upgrading to energy-efficient, distributed, and ‘‘smart’’ power grids, and working to ensure affordable access to electricity, (v) upgrading all existing buildings in Canada and building new buildings to achieve maximal energy efficiency, water efficiency, safety, affordability, comfort, and durability, including through electrification, (vi) spurring massive growth in clean manufacturing in Canada and removing pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from manufacturing and industry as much as is technologically feasible, including by expanding renewable energy manufacturing and investing in existing manufacturing and industry, (vii) working collaboratively with Canada’s farmers to eliminate pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector as much as is technologically feasible, including by supporting family farming, by investing in sustainable farming and land use practices that increase soil health, and by building a more sustainable food system that ensures universal access to healthy food, (viii) overhauling Canada’s transportation systems to eliminate pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector as much as is technologically feasible, including through investment in zero-emission vehicle infrastructure and manufacturing, and clean, affordable, and accessible public transportation, and high-speed rail, (ix) mitigating and managing the long-term adverse health, economic, and other effects of pollution and climate change, including by providing funding for community-defined projects and strategies, (x) removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and reducing pollution, including by restoring natural ecosystems through proven low-tech solutions that increase soil carbon storage, such as preservation and afforestation, (xi) restoring and protecting threatened, endangered, and fragile ecosystems through locally appropriate and science-based projects that enhance biodiversity and support climate resiliency, (xii) cleaning up existing hazardous waste and abandoned sites to promote economic development and sustainability, (xiii) identifying other emission and pollution sources and creating solutions to eliminate them, (xiv) promoting the international exchange of technology, expertise, products, funding, and services, with the aim of making Canada the international leader on climate action, and to help other countries achieve a Green New Deal;

(c) a Green New Deal must be developed through transparent and inclusive consultation, collaboration, and partnership with Indigenous Peoples, frontline and vulnerable communities, labour unions, worker cooperatives, civil society groups, academia, and businesses; and

(d) to achieve the Green New Deal goals and mobilization, a Green New Deal will require (i) providing and leveraging, in a way that ensures that the public receives appropriate ownership stakes and returns on investment, adequate capital (including through community grants, public banks, and other public financing), technical expertise, supporting policies, and other forms of assistance to communities, organizations, federal, provincial, and municipal governments, and businesses working on the Green New Deal mobilization, (ii) ensuring that the government takes into account the complete environmental and social costs and impacts of emissions through existing laws, new policies and programs, and ensuring that frontline and vulnerable communities shall not be adversely affected, (iii) providing resources, training, and high-quality education, including higher education, to all Canadians, with a focus on frontline and vulnerable communities, so those communities may be full and equal participants in the Green New Deal mobilization, (iv) making public investments in the research and development of new clean and renewable energy technologies and industries, (v) directing investments to spur economic development, deepen and diversify industry in local and regional economies, and build wealth and community ownership, while prioritizing high-quality job creation and economic, social, and environmental benefits in frontline and vulnerable communities that may otherwise struggle with the transition away from greenhouse gas intensive industries, (vi) ensuring the use of democratic and participatory processes that are inclusive of and led by frontline and vulnerable communities and workers to plan, implement, and administer the Green New Deal mobilization at the local level, (vii) ensuring that the Green New Deal mobilization creates high-quality union jobs that pay prevailing wages, hires local workers, offers training and advancement opportunities, and guarantees wage and benefit parity for workers affected by the transition, (viii) guaranteeing a job with a family-sustaining wage, adequate family and medical leave, paid vacations, and retirement security to all Canadians, (ix) strengthening and protecting the right of all workers to organize, unionize, and collectively bargain free of coercion, intimidation, and harassment, (x) strengthening and enforcing labour, workplace health and safety, antidiscrimination, and wage and hour standards across all employers, industries, and sectors, (xi) enacting and enforcing trade rules, procurement standards, and border adjustments with strong labor and environmental protections to stop the transfer of jobs and pollution overseas, and to grow domestic manufacturing in Canada, (xii) ensuring that public lands, waters, and oceans are protected, and that eminent domain is not abused, (xiii) obtaining the free, prior, and informed consent of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people for all decisions that affect First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people and their traditional territories, honouring all treaties and agreements with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people, and protecting and enforcing the sovereignty and land rights of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people, (xiv) ensuring a commercial environment where every businessperson is free from unfair competition and domination by domestic or international monopolies, (xv) providing all Canadians with high-quality health care, affordable, safe, and adequate housing, economic security, and access to clean water, clean air, healthy and affordable food, and nature.


Latest Activity

September 23, 2020
Reinstated in the Next Session

History

December 5, 2019
Placed on Notice
September 23, 2020
Reinstated in the Next Session

Joint Seconders (19)

Jointly seconding a private Member's motion is a formal way for up to 20 Members to show support for the motion before it is called for debate. They are displayed in the order they were received by the Clerk of the House.