What’s a Green New Deal for Canada?

People across Canada want our government to rise to the climate emergency. We can tackle the climate emergency and deepening economic inequality at the same time, and polls show that these kinds of policies are popular from coast to coast to coast.

Communities from coast to coast are already shaping the vision for a Green New Deal around four critical pillars:

	Listen to the science The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says we must limit warming to 1.5°C if we are to avoid the most catastrophic impacts of climate breakdown. In 2018, they gave us just 12 years to radically remake our global energy system. This is the baseline for real climate action. We can’t afford to wait to start taking bold action if we’re going to slash carbon pollution 60% by 2030 and bring it to zero by 2050. We must immediately lead the transition away from fossil fuels.
	Respect Indigenous rights & sovereignty Reconciliation needs to be more than just a buzzword. When it comes to climate and energy policy, that starts with fully implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and listening to Indigenous communities on an ongoing basis to pursue the justice-based climate solutions they’re calling for.
	Create millions of good jobs Tackling climate change will require an economic mobilization not seen since WWII. To get to 100% renewable energy, we need to create millions of decent, well-paying union jobs for workers all across Canada. And, we need to provide the support for every worker and community though a just transition. Polling on a Green New Deal has shown widespread, deep support for these kinds of policies, especially when they’re funded by taxing the rich and making big banks and corporations pay their fair share.
	Enshrine dignity, justice, and equity for all We need climate solutions that work for the frontline, marginalized, and Indigenous communities that are bearing the brunt of fossil fuel and climate impacts. This means connecting climate action to inequality and injustice and proposing real solutions that leave no community, no family and no one behind.

For a Green New Deal to truly work for everyone, it must be built from the ground up. That’s why since May 2019, people from coast to coast to coast have been gathering at town halls to crowd-source climate change solutions that will help their communities thrive.

Watch this video to learn more about the solutions they’ve imagined:

These goals and policies do not make up the entirety of a Green New Deal for Canada. That’s why we’re working with allies from across communities, causes, and movements to fight for a broad, transformative vision for a massive economic and social mobilization to tackle the climate crisis. As the movement grows, we look forward to building this vision together.