As the effects of climate…

As the effects of climate change, and their cost to Canadian citizens, becomes ever clearer, it is deeply disappointing that Ontario's government is even considering cancelling Ontario's cap and trade program. Canadians across the country are already paying for the effects of climate change, from increased flooding in the East, to devastating forest fires in the West, and by refusing to act now, we are only increasing the already substantial burden of these effects on our children. No self-respecting parent wants to see their child's future mortgaged away in this way.

Ontario can, and must, do much better. Cap and trade has been demonstrated to be a reasonably effective and economically viable route to reducing emissions and stimulating economic growth in sectors of the energy economy that are growing fastest -- namely renewables. If the government pairs this with additional programs to stimulate the growth of local businesses in the renewable energy and clean transportation sectors, the Ontarian economy stands to benefit massively -- and in a way that will build a strong economic future as the world collectively transitions towards cleaner energy. This is the future that we should aspire to, and a future that will bring far more wealth to the average Ontarian than the poorly thought out provisions in Bill 4.

In addition, Ontario, like all of Canada, has an obligation to set legally binding targets that will help us meet our Paris emissions targets. These targets are viewed as crucial in ensuring that the earth's climate does not get pushed to extremes that would threaten basic tenets of our civilization, such as agriculture or the habitability of large portions of the earth's surface. As one of the countries with the highest per capita emissions in the world, we Canadians have a moral duty to do our part.