On a rare occasion in the House of Commons, the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) and the Green Party of Canada (GPC) both voted “no”, on a Liberal climate change bill. Bill C-12, the Climate Accountability Act, passed with a vote of 210 in favour and 122 opposed. It will be sent to committee for further review.
The GPC called the bill a profoundly flawed piece of legislation, and said it did not contain credible targets that would enable Canada to meet its international obligations on cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 2025. If this Bill is passed, it would require Canada to begin in 2030 to set rolling 5-year targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions, ending in 2050.
“Bill C-12 is a profoundly flawed piece of legislation,” said GPC Leader Annamie Paul. “Despite the urgent need for climate action, and the recent leadership of international partners like the U.S., the United Kingdom and the EU, the federal government has failed to deliver the targets needed to get us to net-zero by 2050.
Insufficient targets and timelines are one reason Greens cannot support Bill C-12, but there are other deficiencies, including the premature appointment of a Net-Zero Advisory Body before Bill C-12 has even arrived in committee. The Greens are calling for an advisory group that is arm’s-length from the government, and one that reports directly to Parliament.
The Conservatives voted against the bill and also took issue with the 14 member advisory body. The CPC criticized the advisory panel and stated that there could be potential influence from climate activists who could hurt the fossil fuel industry.
The New Democrats, as well as the Liberals, voted in support of the bill. Three GPC MPs were amongst the 122 opposed.
