Climate & Public Transit
A sustainable future is one built on clean energy and fairness. Creativity and innovation are required to craft a mode of existence that takes care of our collective well-being, providing equitable health and economic outcomes while respecting the world around us. Crucial to this effort will be partnership and collaboration with Indigenous nations and specialized NGO’s, which are necessary to bring about a future that effectively tackles the climate-related challenges we face and provides for a just transition and healthy environment for all Canadians.
Four Key Planks:
Securing a clean energy future
Reimagining transportation
Practicing ecological stewardship
Advancing environmental justice and a just transition
Securing a Clean Energy Future
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Canada still hands at least $30 billion a year in public support to fossil fuels. This money must be redirected into renewable jobs, clean infrastructure, and affordable, climate-resilient housing.
We will:
End federal fossil fuel subsidies and put a moratorium on new fossil fuel infrastructure, including new pipelines and oil tankers in sensitive waters, and oppose precarious carbon capture projects.
Say no to new pipelines like the Bitumen pipeline and reject the Smith–Carney MOU.
Tax fossil fuel production based on carbon per unit and the profits of oil and gas companies, funding clean energy projects and cutting incentives to expand extraction.
Enact and enforce the federal “oil and gas sector greenhouse gas pollution cap.”
The world is quickly moving away from oil, yet at COP30 Canada was unwilling to sign onto a global plan to phase out fossil fuels. We will commit Canada to a binding, science-based international roadmap to wind down fossil fuels.
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Private investment alone, even with clean energy tax incentives, will not deliver a green energy revolution. We will establish a national renewable energy Crown corporation to coordinate and build large-scale renewable power, in partnership with provinces, municipalities, Indigenous nations, and communities. It will drive rapid expansion of:
Wind: Scaling community and Indigenous-led projects, with public leadership where needed.
Solar: Supporting Canada’s expanding demand for solar by building domestic manufacturing capacity.
Hydro: Unlocking Atlantic Canada’s untapped hydro potential through an interprovincial effort that creates green careers.
Geothermal: Making geothermal energy a core pillar of industrial strategy, building on a cold climate advantage, harmonizing regulations, and supporting Indigenous-owned projects like Tu Deh-Kah Geothermal.
Nuclear: Exploring small modular reactors as an option for some remote communities, with full consent from First Nations and strict environmental and safety oversight.
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Canada’s electricity system is a fragmented patchwork oriented toward exports. We will build a national grid that connects regions east–west–north, lets remote communities move off diesel, and enables areas rich in wind, hydro, solar, or geothermal to supply clean power across the country.
Reimagining Transportation
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Canada needs a national transportation strategy that cuts emissions, connects communities, and puts people before private car dependence.
We will:
Build publicly owned and built high‑speed rail across Canada.
Invest in subways, regional light rail, bus rapid transit, and low- and zero‑emission bus fleets to expand frequent, affordable transit.
Fund on‑demand and fixed‑route public transit to connect rural, northern, and remote communities to each other and to urban centres.
Ensure vehicles and infrastructure are made by Canadians, using Canadian materials and creating good union jobs.
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The transportation of goods and cargo can be made more climate-friendly through measures such as:
Upgrading the federal Green Freight Program to focus on zero‑emission options and accelerate medium- and heavy‑duty electrification.
Partnering with Canadian manufacturers like Edison Motors to scale up electric trucks and buses.
Supporting Delivering Community Power’s plan to electrify Canada Post’s fleet
Integrate mail delivery with new high‑speed rail.
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Public money for EV charging should build public capacity, not private monopolies. We will direct federal investments toward charging infrastructure owned by public entities, utilities, municipalities, and Indigenous or community organizations, and set national standards for reliability and interoperability.
Instead of expanding highways that induce more traffic, we will re‑route federal highway expansion funds into public transit, regional rail, and active transportation corridors.
Practicing Ecological Stewardship
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We will support community and Indigenous-led land stewardship to protect old growth and wildlife, safeguarding ecosystems and local economies based on fishing, agriculture, and tourism. We will:
Increase federal funding for conservation and restoration.
Implement the Global Biodiversity Framework.
Centre the ecological role of freshwater biodiversity.
Expand initiatives like the Watershed Security Fund, co‑governed with Indigenous Nations.
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We will tackle the harms of mining by implementing MiningWatch’s mine waste recommendations: limiting waste, remediating abandoned sites, ensuring taxpayers don’t pay for closures or accidents, and strengthening public, Indigenous, and civil society oversight.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAs) have been assessed as toxic. We will use CEPA’s power to categorize them as toxic, move toward a national ban, and address their uneven impacts on communities such as Inuit people and firefighters, as highlighted by calls to end PFAs.
AIdata centres operate without clear rules on emissions, energy, or water use. To confront the environmental risks, we will require them to run on renewables, meet power and water efficiency standards with public reporting, and impose a moratorium on new AI data centres until robust regulations are in place.
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We will reverse planned cuts of up to 50 percent to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), which undermine CEPA enforcement. We will restore and increase ECCC capacity, update key resources like the archived air pollution page, and fund public research on pollution’s health and economic costs, building on work like the IISD costs of pollution.
We will account for “implicit costs” so environmental and social harms are no longer borne by the public. Inspired by the FTQ’s proposal, federal procurement and budgeting will weigh social and environmental impacts alongside price in all major decisions.
Advancing Environmental Justice & a Just Transition
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Environmental racism means pollution and climate impacts fall hardest on Indigenous, Black, and other racialized communities. The new national strategy on environmental racism and justice is a start, but it lacks funding and enforcement. We will create an Environmental Justice Secretariat, partner with groups like Indigenous Climate Action and the ENRICH Project, and fund community-led restoration and health projects.
The Canadian Environmental Protection Act now recognizes the right to a healthy environment, but enforcement capacity is weak. We will build a clear process for redress so communities can use that right in practice, not just on paper.
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A just transition means workers and communities design and benefit from the shift to a green economy. Following principles laid out by the Newfoundland & Labrador Federation of Labour’s just transition framework, we will:
Ensure unionized employment in new green sectors, with funding for retraining, income support, and worker-led redesign.
Treat existing oil and gas skills as an asset, rapidly redeploying workers into geothermal and other green industries.
Drive large-scale job creation by overhauling public transportation, upgrading buildings, and building a circular economy, as outlined in labour’s guide to climate action.
We will close gender gaps in green jobs through equity-focused training, hiring, and leadership programs.
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This can be accomplished by:
Taxing fossil fuel production and profits.
Requiring regular payments for remediation after major extractive projects, as proposed in the Alternative Federal Budget.
Acting decisively against corporate offenders, lifting penalty caps for large firms and suspending permits until harms are repaired.
Enacting the Climate-Aligned Finance Act so banks and investors align capital with climate and just transition goals.
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Climate change is already reshaping Canada, from longer wildfire seasons to worsening floods and landslides. Strengthening Canada’s National Adaptation Strategy now, with a robust National Response and Recovery Strategy and evidence from reports like “Damage Control” on adaptation costs, will protect the communities most affected and save lives and money in the long run.
