| Time for NDP To Abandon Opposition to Climate Change Policies
December 14, 2009 Time for NDP To Abandon Opposition to Climate Change Policies VICTORIA – With NDP environment critic Rob Fleming attending the climate change conference in Copenhagen, now is the time for the NDP to abandon their reckless climate change policies, says Environment Minister Barry Penner. “Carole James and the NDP have opposed every meaningful step to combat human contributions to climate change,” says Penner. “NDP MLAs voted against putting a price on carbon emisisions through North America's first broadly-based carbon tax and they also voted against legislation that allows British Columbia to develop a 'cap and trade' system to reduce emissions from large industrial sources. To this day, the NDP remains opposed to wind power and small hydro projects that generate the kind of zero-emission electricity that people in Copenhagen are saying the world needs to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels." Penner says 2009 will be remembered as the year that Carole James and the NDP conducted the most anti-climate campaign in Canadian history, putting their leftist ideolgy ahead of the interests of the environment. "For the NDP to attend the Copenhagen conference after opposing measures to reduce emissions shows the NDP are only green with hypocrisy,” he says. Under Carole James, the NDP have voted against: • The introduction of the world’s first broad-based, revenue-neutral carbon tax; • British Columbia’s involvement in developing a cap-and-trade system with jurisdictions across North America; • The development of clean energy alternatives; and • The introduction of renewable fuel standards. “The NDP are being completely dishonest by attending the Copenhagen conference and pretending to support actions to fight climate change. The NDP’s record is clear, they have opposed and voted against every single climate change initiative undertaken in B.C.,” says Penner. “The NDP’s anti-climate polices have been slammed by virtually every leading environmental organization. With the world coming together in Copenhagen to fight climate change, now is the time for Carole James and the NDP to abandon their reckless anti-climate polices and support the government’s climate action plan." -30- |
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