QUEEN’S PARK – Marit Stiles, Leader of the Official Opposition NDP, joined Peter Tabuns (Toronto—Danforth), the critic for Energy and Climate Action, to call on Ontario’s Conservative government for clear climate action as the international community wraps up COP28, the 2023 United Nations Climate Change conference.
"A year of drastic climate events, including some of the worst forest fires we have ever seen in our province should have been a wake-up call for the Conservatives to take real climate leadership and lead with a plan that actually reduces emissions at a scale that meets global targets,” said Stiles.
“Ontario can and should be a leader on green energy strategies—not just in Canada but globally. We have the opportunity and resources to show leadership, but this government chooses to ignore reality and refuses to implement our practical solutions.”
Tabuns sounded the alarm about Ontario falling behind on meeting its own climate targets.
“The summit has made it clear that the world is headed towards significant disruption due to climate change, but Ontario’s government hasn’t set the targets the situation demands or put in place the steps to meet its own weak targets,” Tabuns said. “We must be a leading force in coming to grips with the global crisis. We are a wealthy province with huge abilities, we can make a difference. We can meet our power needs with conservation, efficiency, and renewables rather than expanding gas fired electricity generation.”
The Ontario NDP has put forward practical and immediate solutions to not only move towards clean energy, but also help families save money in the face of skyrocketing home heating bills by subsidizing green energy retrofits and heat pumps.