Minister Rickford & Minister Aglukkaq

The Honourable Greg Rickford, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, and the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Canada’s Minister of Environment, today issued the following statement following commitments made by Justin Trudeau, Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, regarding Canada’s record on clean energy and the environment:

Justin Trudeau is proposing a carbon pricing scheme that will increase the costs of everything including gas, groceries, electricity. Justin Trudeau does not understand the impact that his carbon pricing scheme will have on the budgets of Canadian families.

Justin Trudeau seems to have missed the fact that our government has already been phasing out tax subsidies for fossil fuels while at the same encouraging investment and job creation in the LNG sector in BC. In fact, the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development told a Parliamentary Committee that ‘without question’ the government was moving in the right direction on this issue. (Standing Committee on Natural Resources, February 5, 2013)

Without thinking about the consequences, Justin Trudeau announced today that he’d renege on the federal government’s commitment to BC to help get LNG projects off the ground. Justin Trudeau is willing to jeopardize projects that will eventually employ 100,000 British Columbians. This just shows that he hasn’t thought it through and he’s just not ready. (PM Announces Measure to Support Jobs and Growth in the LNG Industry)

Justin Trudeau also seems to have missed the fact that Canada is already working with the United States and Mexico on climate change and clean energy. (News Release: North American Energy Ministers Establish a Working Group on Climate Change and Energy)

Justin Trudeau also doesn’t seem to understand that the government already makes significant investments in clean energy. (News Release: Harper Government Announces Significant Investments in Jobs and Clean technologies in Ontario).

Justin Trudeau is just not ready to be Prime Minister.