I do not agree with the aim…

I do not agree with the aim of this bill. I believe that the cap-and-trade program put in place by the Ontario government was a good step toward honoring our part of the Paris Climate Agreement to which Canada is a signatory. The cancellation of this Ontario program without putting in place an equally effective plan that makes polluters pay and that returns the revenues to Ontarians so they can afford to lower their environmental footprint, is unacceptable to me. I believe the cost of cancellation of cap-and-trade will end up being higher than any savings realized. Law suits resulting from dishonored contracts will be expensive. I also do not agree with the legal challenge to the federal carbon tax which will replace a cancelled cap-and-trade agreement. Such challenge will just waste tax payers money and is most likely to fail as the federal government has a clear mandate and responsibility to impose this tax.

Ontario needs legally binding emission reduction targets that meet our Paris agreement obligations. The renewable energy economy is growing dramatically throughout the world, and Ontario can, and deserves to, have a leadership role in this multi- trillion opportunity. Like many other jurisdictions in the world Ontario needs a plan to end the use of fossil-fuels. Carbon-free energy systems are now mainstream, and are becoming cheaper to install than any other. I want to see and end to all subsidies to the fossil-fuel industries and a firm goal of ending their use no later than 2050. Carbon emissions are making our planet unlivable for future generations. We cannot shirk our responsibility in this regard.