Up in smoke.That’s what will happen to planet Earth if opponents of the Liberal government’s proposed emissions cap have their way, according to Energy and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson.Speaking at a press conference in Ottawa on Thursday, Wilkinson took aim at naysayers of his government’s climate policies, accusing them of raking in exorbitant profits while the world goes up in flames..They prefer to let pollution increase the planet to burn more quickly so that some people can make more money in the short term.Energy Minister Jonathan Wilkinson.Despite his insistence that the emissions cap is “good for the country” and will cut pollution, not oil and gas production, Wilkinson — alongside Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault and Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault — couldn’t help but take a few partisan shots at political rivals including Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre and former prime minister Stephen Harper.“This is the approach chosen by Mr. Poilievre and the Conservative Party of Canada. The Conservative leader is one of those politicians who doesn't want to tell you his climate plan, because his plan is to allow the planet to continue to warm,” Wilkinson said.“His party had decades to offer a plan to slow global warming and they never do. They did not do it during the 10 years of Stephen Harper when Pierre Poilievre was a cabinet minister and they are not doing it now. It is time to recognize this for what it is. They prefer to let pollution increase the planet to burn more quickly so that some people can make more money in the short term.”.He continued: “The choice to put this policy forward as a choice to do what we can to try what we must to stop the planet from facing ever greater harm. The Conservative plan is to oppose each and every idea that can help slow warming because of a misguided sense of what's important and a misunderstanding of what the economy of the future will look like.”In response to assertions from Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe — who are both in attendance at the COP28 summit in Dubai — that the emissions cap amounts to a cut in oil and gas production, Boissonnault chimed in that they’re both wrong.“I don't know how I can be more clear about this, the premiers are wrong… Premier (Smith) is off base, this is about reducing emissions, not putting a cap on production.”Added Wilkinson: “What Premier Smith says is not true.”.Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault also could not restrain himself from resorting to hyperbole.“I mean, it's not just the cap that is at risk. The Conservative Party of Canada don't seem to be willing or able or capable to understand that pollution kills people in Canada. That pollution makes our kids sicker in Canada,and what's the appropriate response to that? ‘I'm going to make pollution pretty again. I'm going to make it so that companies can pollute as much as they want,’” he said. “It's going to it's going to make our health costs go up. It's going to make the impacts of climate change affect more people. It's going to be more costly for Canadians.”
Up in smoke.That’s what will happen to planet Earth if opponents of the Liberal government’s proposed emissions cap have their way, according to Energy and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson.Speaking at a press conference in Ottawa on Thursday, Wilkinson took aim at naysayers of his government’s climate policies, accusing them of raking in exorbitant profits while the world goes up in flames..They prefer to let pollution increase the planet to burn more quickly so that some people can make more money in the short term.Energy Minister Jonathan Wilkinson.Despite his insistence that the emissions cap is “good for the country” and will cut pollution, not oil and gas production, Wilkinson — alongside Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault and Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault — couldn’t help but take a few partisan shots at political rivals including Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre and former prime minister Stephen Harper.“This is the approach chosen by Mr. Poilievre and the Conservative Party of Canada. The Conservative leader is one of those politicians who doesn't want to tell you his climate plan, because his plan is to allow the planet to continue to warm,” Wilkinson said.“His party had decades to offer a plan to slow global warming and they never do. They did not do it during the 10 years of Stephen Harper when Pierre Poilievre was a cabinet minister and they are not doing it now. It is time to recognize this for what it is. They prefer to let pollution increase the planet to burn more quickly so that some people can make more money in the short term.”.He continued: “The choice to put this policy forward as a choice to do what we can to try what we must to stop the planet from facing ever greater harm. The Conservative plan is to oppose each and every idea that can help slow warming because of a misguided sense of what's important and a misunderstanding of what the economy of the future will look like.”In response to assertions from Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe — who are both in attendance at the COP28 summit in Dubai — that the emissions cap amounts to a cut in oil and gas production, Boissonnault chimed in that they’re both wrong.“I don't know how I can be more clear about this, the premiers are wrong… Premier (Smith) is off base, this is about reducing emissions, not putting a cap on production.”Added Wilkinson: “What Premier Smith says is not true.”.Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault also could not restrain himself from resorting to hyperbole.“I mean, it's not just the cap that is at risk. The Conservative Party of Canada don't seem to be willing or able or capable to understand that pollution kills people in Canada. That pollution makes our kids sicker in Canada,and what's the appropriate response to that? ‘I'm going to make pollution pretty again. I'm going to make it so that companies can pollute as much as they want,’” he said. “It's going to it's going to make our health costs go up. It's going to make the impacts of climate change affect more people. It's going to be more costly for Canadians.”
