We understand that our planet has reached a critical tipping point.
We must face the climate emergency with an unprecedented determination for change.
We must take responsibility and we must act immediately, for each other, our children and our planet.
UN climate scientists tell us we are running out of time to make the systemic changes required to curtail the impact of the climate crisis.
Without these changes our planet will not remain survivable for much of humanity and for countless other species.
And, how many years do we have to make these changes?
Eleven.
Only eleven years to effect the catastrophic changes wrought by temperatures rising above 1.5 degrees Celsius:
● global food shortages
● mass migrations,
● and extreme weather.
There will be wildfires, droughts and flooding sweeping through communities, homes and lives.
And, that’s why this upcoming federal election is paramount.
I am not exaggerating when I say that the next four years will determine if Canada remains part of the problem or becomes a world leader in climate solutions.
The Greens have a 20-step action plan to ensure this leadership; it is called Mission Possible.
Our action plan reduces greenhouse gases by 60% by 2030 and to net zero by 2050.
Additionally, social inequalities are disproportionately making life harder for many of us.
The County's recent Housing and Homelessness Plan update
found that
over 3,300 Grey County households are paying more than 30% of their income to housing costs,
It found household incomes in the county are below the Ontario average,
and it found there is an increasing number of people accessing homelessness services
We have a moral responsibility to those struggling right now.
I understand that even when we want to make environmentally sound choices as individuals; those choices often take money and time.
Our rural, small-town and livable-city way of life means that options are sometimes scarce or cost prohibitive,
especially for those whose most pressing needs are the daily and immediate ones of putting food on the table
or finding a home one can afford.
Action can and will be taken if bold leadership is elected this October. The Green Party of Canada will
close corporate loopholes that assist the rich,
stop subsidizing the fossil fuel industry,
and instead, invest in renewables.
Invest in us.
Invest in:
● Real and deliberate actions that are determined by Indigenous-led projects’ meant to reconcile Canada’s relationship with its Indigenous Peoples.
● A National Pharmacare Program & Seniors Strategy
● Affordable housing initiatives that expand the National Housing Strategy
● Support viable small local green business start-ups
● Reliable and affordable Internet that permits rural and small town businesses to compete in the new economy
● Promote sustainable agriculture.
We must ensure a place in the new green economy for workers, build government-led infrastructure resiliency, honour scientists and research by creating evidence-based policy and at every step, insist on equality for all.
Bruce –Grey-Owen Sound is a strong-minded “community of communities” who have historically been connected to the land and water through agriculture, forestry, quarrying and fishing industries, as well as our love of our landscape.
We are one of the few areas in Canada where farming is not just enduring, but it is growing. Each new farm represents the tenacity, the commitment and the lifeblood of our way of life.
And Each of our towns represent life on a livable scale.
We are neighbours, colleagues, friends and family losing hope in institutions that break promises and act on the interests of the few to the detriment of the many. We are losing hope in our ability to change the course we are careening upon, seeing our children’s futures in jeopardy.
But we can decisively choose to be for humanity and for life.
We can invest in hope with our voice.
A vote for the Green Party is an investment in leadership that collaborates,
innovation that illuminates, and decisions made through a lens of protecting people and planet.
BUT We must show up for this task. Every single one of us.
We can work together.
The Green Party’s path to change is pragmatic, achievable and people-focused.
I’m asking you to join me.
Let’s Stand up. Together.