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NUPGE endorses an open letter to Parliament that challenges MPs to accept climate targets based on Science
Ottawa (Feb. 23, 2009) â Over thirty organizations working on climate change, including the National Union of Public adn General Employees (NUPGE), today released an open letter to federal party leaders calling on them to pass Bill C-311, the Climate Change Accountability Act, before Parliament’s summer break begins on June 23.
This bill, introduced by NDP MP Bruce Hyer, would set national greenhouse gas emission targets for Canada that align with climate scientists’ analysis of the emission cuts needed to avoid dangerous climate change.
“If Parliamentarians work together, this essential bill could be law by summertime,” said Graham Saul, Climate Action Network Canada-Réseau Action Climat Canada. “That would send a strong signal to the world that Canada intends to do its part in tackling global warming.”
Countries are now more than halfway through a two-year negotiation on the next global climate treaty. The negotiations are scheduled to wrap up in Copenhagen, Denmark in December. The national target that Canada currently supports falls far short of the reduction levels that leading scientists have recommended.
An earlier version of this private member’s bill, tabled by NDP leader Jack Layton, passed its third and final reading in the House of Commons in June 2008, but did not complete Senate consideration before Parliament dissolved for the October 2008 federal election.
The letter concludes: “Canadians want to see our country play a leadership role in Copenhagen, and they care deeply about protecting our natural heritage. The Climate Change Accountability Act is an essential step towards those goals. Please work together to make it law this year.” (full text of the letter)
Signatories to the letter include national environmental organizations, faith and labour groups, and groups representing seven provinces and the North.
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE