News: Climate Justice

Despite very significant investments in social, economic, and environmental measures, Budget 2021 does not go the distance in bringing about a just recovery.

“Climate migration is going to be a serious problem if the world does nothing,” said Stephen Kaduuli, a refugee rights policy analyst at CPJ.

While the many “green” aspects of the budget are being applauded by organizations such as the faith-based Citizens for Public Justice (CPJ), an Ottawa-based spokesperson for CPJ said the government could and should have gone further down that road.

Budget 2021 offers some significant supports to bring Canada through the remainder of the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet it represents a lost opportunity to invest in the transformative change necessary to address the climate emergency and preserve the livability of the planet.

Alongside my personal journey, I have joined my voice with thousands of people in Canada calling on the federal government to make policy changes that will move us further and faster towards the Paris temperature goals.

There is deep concern about the climate crisis among churches in Canada. Weighed down with this concern, people are often lost with what to do next. Now, For the Love of Creation is providing a way for people of faith to channel their concern and take action.

In the wake of US President Biden’s cancellation of the Keystone XL Pipeline, CPJ has joined our partners in calling on Prime Minister Trudeau to cancel the Trans Mountain Pipeline and follow-through on commitments to bring forward a just transition act.

In collaboration with our colleague organizations in For the Love of Creation, CPJ submitted an open letter to Minister Jonathan Wilkinson urging him to strengthen the climate accountability legislation without delay.

After the year that has been, perhaps the most poignant element of the Christmas message is hope.

Environmental degradation has coincided with the dispossession and disempowerment of Indigenous Peoples in Canada and elsewhere. We can’t turn back the clock, but we can make a better future.