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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SEPTEMBER 24, 2002 LIBERALS PLAYING POLITICS WITH THE ENVIRONMENT OTTAWA-Federal NDP leader Alexa McDonough is accusing the Liberal government of putting politics ahead of policy when it comes to an implementation plan for the Kyoto Protocol on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. "The Liberals have been playing a wait-and-see game with the public opinion polls rather than moving forward with a plan to protect the health of our environment and our economy," says McDonough. "It's been more than four years since Canada signed the Kyoto protocol and there is still no plan that fairly shares the costs and benefits of ratification." NDP Environment Critic Joe Comartin insists that the Kyoto implementation plan must reflect the environmental impact and technological capabilities of the Canadian economy. "The evidence is clear that Canada can comply with the Kyoto Protocol and simultaneously develop the technological expertise that will be in demand around the world,"said Comartin. The New Democratic Party has been advocating numerous means through which public policy can move our economy back to a position of global leadership in environmental stewardship. Among its proposals, the NDP is calling for the legislated creation of a market for ethanol and biomass fuels and for the mandatory conversion of coal fired energy plants through the enforcement of clean air standards. The NDP is also advocating the creation of a national alternative energy strategy based on proven capabilities in wind, solar and tidal energy production. In partnership with the provinces and municipalities the NDP is calling on the federal government to support transportation, waste diversion and municipal infrastructure projects that promote energy efficiency and the use of non-fossil fuels. Dating back to the 2000 general election the NDP has been promoting "Green Taxation Reforms". Such a program would stimulate green investment in the private sector through tax reductions on sustainable business practices. At a minimum the federal government must also provide loan guarantees for building retrofits and tax credits for that encourage the development of new environmentally sound practices. McDonough also criticized the Liberal government for continuing to propagate the myth of clean energy exports as environmentally sustainable. "The point of Kyoto is to improve global environmental conditions. By trying to win credits for clean fuel exports, which would in turn permit greater domestic production of greenhouse gases, the Liberals are trying to do an end run around global environmental leadership," said McDonough. Further New Democratic Party solutions to building a sustainable economy are attached. -30- For more information, please contact: Karl Belanger: (613) 720-6463 --------------------------------------------------------------- MEDIA BACKGROUNDER NDP Policy on Building Sustainable Economy * Mandate for Alternative Fuels: The federal NDP will work with our governments in Saskatchewan and Manitoba to remove barriers on ethanol exports and have called on the federal government to legislate a mandatory blending of ethanol gasoline of at least 10 percent. We will also encourage the production of bio-diesel. * Renewed Emphasis on Urban Transit: The federal government should be taking a lead to support the upkeep and expansion of multi-modal, integrated transportation systems. This could be done with the provinces and municipalities through a dedicated transit infrastructure fund. The NDP has also backed the call to make the provision of public transit passes to employees a tax deduction for employers. * Sustainable Economics: In the 1st Session of the 37th Parliament the House Finance Committee agreed to NDP MP Lorne Nystrom's proposal to hold hearings on the environment and the economy. The NDP is encouraging the growing trend in many sectors of the economy, towards promoting sustainable environmentally sound business practices. * Federal Government "Greenscreen": The NDP has repeatedly called for the federal government to make environmental objectives and performance a part of the budget making process. Yet the 2001 budget speech made no mention of the government incorporating an environmental "greenscreen" in its policy and budget making process. Clearly, more work needs to be done to convince the government of the practical and critical utility of this. * Green Taxation Reforms need to be introduced to change existing tax laws and subsidies that artificially lower the true costs of fossil fuels and nuclear energy. Incentives that sustain and encourage non-renewable energy must be redirected towards renewable energy sources. * A Clean Air Fund to help local communities create jobs in projects that help to tackle climate change, including reforestation and alternative clean energy projects that seek to limit greenhouse gas emissions. * A National Transportation Strategy to expand and encourage public transit, improve commuter rail service in and around major urban centres, and improve public highways. Government must also encourage the conversion of shipping from trucks to trains. * A Green Jobs Fund to provide balanced loan security for the cost of retrofitting residential, commercial and industrial buildings to higher energy efficiency standards. * A research incentive program to help encourage dynamic environmental industries and the development of new green technologies across all sectors of the Canadian economy. * Aggressive Public Relations: The federal government has to be willing to take on the economic scaremongers. Alberta's version of "The Sky is Falling" began with a claim that ratifying Kyoto would cost the Canadian economy $40-billion. Unfortunately for the Klein/Oil Patch partisans, the Alberta-based Pembina Research Institute reports that the combined effects of environmental efficiencies and economic opportunities in new technologies will make Kyoto ratification revenue-neutral for our economy. -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- SUST-MAR TIP: messages to sust-mar must be plain text format (no HTML) -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
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