Supply and confidence agreement means government must deliver on and go beyond its climate promises

For immediate release.

Unceded Algonquin Anishinaabe Territories [OTTAWA], 22 March 2022:

Climate Action Network – Réseau action climat (CAN-Rac) Canada welcomes today’s announcement that the Liberal Party and New Democratic Party will work together under a supply and confidence agreement until 2025, and urges them to use this opportunity to secure a livable future.

CAN-Rac, alongside other organizations, has repeatedly called for cross-partisan collaboration in response to the climate emergency. In the midst of a frequently divisive political environment, it is encouraging to see parties agreeing to work together to address the converging crises that threaten Canada and the world. The crises we are collectively facing, including the climate emergency, are too grave for partisanship, and require all parties – not just the Liberals and NDP – to work together.

Caroline Brouillette, National Policy Manager at CAN-Rac, said: “With increasingly destructive climate impacts and a short and rapidly-closing window to set the world on track for a climate-safe future, business as usual is not enough. The adoption of this agreement shows that leaders can put partisanship aside and think outside the box – now, they must apply the same spirit to the climate crisis.”

This is the decade of action to avoid the worst impacts of the climate crisis. Currently, the confidence-and-supply agreement only reiterates existing government promises and commits to speeding up their implementation. The stability the agreement provides – for policy-makers, investors, and workers across what is currently known as Canada – must be leveraged to increase the speed and scale of the government’s climate action to meet the urgency of the moment.

Failing to scale up ambition would condemn Canada to dangerously inadequate climate policies, putting millions of lives at risk, in particular people who are already marginalized. Both the Liberal government’s and the NDP’s commitments fall short of Canada’s fair share of the global effort to limit warming to 1.5°C. The NDP must use its increased presence at the table to expand its political imagination and push for more visionary climate action that meets the scale of the emergency.

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