FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Fredericton, NB (May 3, 2019) – As interveners supporting the federal government in the reference case on the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act, the New Brunswick Anti-Shale Gas Alliance (NBASGA) welcomes today’s decision by the Justices that carbon pollution pricing is constitutional.

Though it was a split decision, both sides agreed that the climate crisis is an existential threat, making this decision the first judicial recognition of that fact in Canada.  The ruling gives the federal government the constitutional authority to act on behalf of the entire nation to set the minimum standards necessary to protect Canadians (and people everywhere.)

NBASGA Spokesperson, Jim Emberger, noted “That provinces still remain free to exceed federal standards, but they cannot set lower standards for themselves. We hope this is a first step in Canada’s adoption of serious climate crisis planning.”

In New Brunswick, we hope that this decision will preclude the province from uselessly spending more taxpayer funds on its own case.  The money we already spent in this Saskatchewan case is more than enough, as the Court explicitly denied the arguments made by New Brunswick, Ontario and Saskatchewan.

Instead this should signal the province that it is time for our provincial government to seriously address the climate crisis.

“Provincial leaders promoting fossil fuels at the same time as they’re expressing sympathy and concern for flood victims is the perfect example of how little they understand both the climate crisis, and the global actions necessary to address it.  It’s why the federal government had to become involved.”

                     ~Jim Emberger

The past weeks have seen enormous worldwide climate concern. Protesters closed down London for a week.  The UK Parliament declared a ‘climate emergency’ (as did many cities and states globally). Spain elected a government running on a Green New Deal platform, and US Democrats listed climate as their top electoral concern. Today, students marched once again to get government’s attention.

Amidst repeated ‘once-in-a-generation’ or ‘historic’ floods and storms, we need to recognize that we are all in this together, and we must act together accordingly.

News Links:

https://www.nationalobserver.com/2019/05/03/news/saskatchewan-court-validates-trudeaus-carbon-tax
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/carbon-tax-is-constitutional-saskatchewan-court-of-appeal-rules-1.5121414