Liberals promise net zero emissions

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This article was published 23/08/2023 (745 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba’s Liberal party believes it can make Manitoba the first Canadian province to reach net zero in greenhouse gas emissions by increasing financial support for environmental causes.

If elected, the party plans to introduce a $300-million annual green fund, which would be used to fund new environmental jobs, reduce green energy costs and fight climate change by restoring forests, grasslands and wetlands.

“I have never seen a wildfire summer like this one. Day after day, when I am out knocking on doors, I can taste smoke, and the sun is a hazy red because our boreal forests are on fire, and they are smothering the world,” Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont said Wednesday during a campaign announcement.

“We have a responsibility to act, so why haven’t we?”

The plan involves “rewilding,” a term the Liberals are using to describe the process of linking various natural habitats with “ecological corridors to encourage the wildlife to recover.”

The Liberals would seek to develop agreements between the province, First Nations, municipalities and private citizens to developed semi-protected swaths of land connecting existing green spaces.

“The single most effective, lowest-cost way to fight climate change is through more wilderness,” Lamont said.

“To make a difference in climate change, we need to make it easier for Manitobans to contribute and do the right thing, and that’s what the green fund will do.”

First Nations, municipalities, producers and private citizens will be able to access the fund to finance tree planting, energy-saving retrofits, greenhouse gas reduction and the establishment of charging stations for electric vehicles.

Efficiency Manitoba, the Crown corporation that oversees energy efficiency, would manage the fund with contributions from Manitoba Hydro and the federally controlled carbon tax.

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Manitoba is one of four provinces with a federally imposed levy on certain fuels, including natural gas, because their own climate plans didn’t meet Ottawa’s targets.

Lamont promised his party would negotiate with the federal government to gain provincial control over the tax.

“Fundamentally, it’s about taking back control of these funds and making sure we’re controlling how these funds are being spent, instead of the federal government,” he said.

The Liberals committed to helping Manitoba reach net zero in green house gas emissions by 2034.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca