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“To put it simply, we cannot afford to delay any longer on a just and equitable transition towards a sustainable economy.” — Larry Brown, NUPGE President
Ottawa (19 April 2021) — The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is once again calling on the federal government to take urgent action on climate change.
Larry Brown, NUPGE President, has written a letter to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Jonathan Wilkinson. In the letter, President Brown urges the Minister to stop delaying on action to reach Canada’s emissions reduction targets and to ensure that the transition to a green economy leaves nobody behind.
Climate crisis affects all workers
“NUPGE’s more than 390,000 members across Canada are already experiencing the impacts of climate change,” wrote Brown. They are both on the front lines and behind the scenes in providing care and service to the public and our communities’ most vulnerable.
“We need immediate action to prevent scientists’ worst-case-scenario predictions for the climate crisis, to adapt to the impacts that are already here, and to ensure that workers and communities have the necessary protections and resources to realize their rights and so that nobody is left behind,” continued Brown.
“To put it simply, we cannot afford to delay any longer on a just and equitable transition towards a sustainable economy.”
But it will impact certain workers, communities more
Brown reiterates NUPGE’s previous calls on the government to act to meet its targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and to implement programs and supports to facilitate a Just Transition.
“A Just Transition will require planning and investments in retraining, workforce development, income support and a strong social safety net, and community supports,” wrote Brown. “This will require a robust and well-funded public service.”
In the letter, Brown cites recent research on a Just Transition from the Centre for Future Work, and a recent report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives on a Just Transition Act, which the Liberals have promised. Both reports show that managed transition towards a more sustainable and just economy is absolutely within reach, and they provide recommendations for doing so.
Brown also emphasizes “the need to address the unique and disproportionate impacts of environmental issues and of climate change on people living in poverty, on communities of Black and Indigenous people, and of people of colour, on women, and on people with disabilities. As is the case with Just Transition legislation and policies, these groups must be at the decision-making tables and be empowered to lead the way on finding solutions.”
No more delays
On climate, this government has so often said the right thing, and taken some genuine strides on climate action, but too much remains to be done. Now is the time for action and follow-through.
This week, the federal government will table Budget 2021, and Canada is expected to announce a new climate target as part of President Biden’s climate summit. “We expect to see follow-through on these commitments to equity, justice, and sustainability that your government has claimed to champion,” wrote Brown.
“This moment presents an enormous opportunity — and a responsibility — to invest in climate action and climate justice as being core to the recovery from the pandemic and beyond.”