PERTH COUNTY SUSTAINABILITY HUB

Awaiting submission.

As I’m sure you already know, Minister’s Zoning Orders (MZOs) allow the Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister to make a ruling on how a piece of land in Ontario will be used. When an MZO is issued it means the usual appeal process by municipalities, citizens or environmental groups in Ontario is stopped. Even though MZOs were intended to be used for special cases, MZOs have now become almost routine under the provincial Ford government.

As the riding association chair of the Perth-Wellington Liberals, I helped organize an online event on August 3, 2021 to raise awareness of Land Use Policy and MZOs especially with respect to farmland. The invited guest speaker was Victor Doyle, former Ontario Civil Servant and the chief architect of the Greenbelt.

I acknowledge the sustained and effective work of Wise Communities Stratford and Get Concerned Stratford. Their efforts were essential in having the MZO for the Xinyi Glass Plant in Stratford revoked.As a Member of Parliament, I will speak out against this misuse of MZOs. I will advocate for politicians at the municipal and provincial level to respect the land-use planning process that is in place.

Land use planning is provincial jurisdiction. The federal government has no control over the Ontario Planning Act which dictates much of how urban communities expand into farmland. That said there is a role for the federal government, within the framework of a national housing strategy, through federal funding criteria, to encourage the use of existing urban land for housing. A federal grant program for municipalities could and should give priority to housing projects that use existing land that is already zoned residential.

While it is important to maintain stability in existing residential neighbourhoods, there needs to be consideration for increased density, especially where urban population growth puts pressure on surrounding rural communities. Federal housing grants should not encourage encroachment into farmland.

Awaiting submission.

Awaiting submission.

This is an important issue to many grassroots Liberals. They will continue to push the government forward on this issue.

At the 2021 Liberal National Convention, the following Policy Resolutions was passed and prioritized by Registered Liberals: Be it resolved that the Liberal Party of Canada urge the Government of Canada to reformulate agricultural policy to shift away from industrial towards regenerative agriculture by such measures as:

● implementing the recommendations in the 2020 National Farmers Union report Creating the Foundation for a Climate-friendly Post-Pandemic Food System for Canadians;
● developing a program to reward farmers for sequestering carbon;
● increasing funding to implement the systems approach of the 2019 Food Policy for Canada.

The Liberal government has already invested over half a billion dollars in new direct support to farmers for the adoption of more climate-resilient practices and clean technologies, including the new Agriculture Climate Solutions Program and the Agricultural Clean Technology program.

Our key platform commitments include:

●  Creating a new No-Waste Food Fund to help build a circular food economy in Canada where no food is wasted, from farm to table. The fund will help all players along the food supply chain to commercialize and adopt ways to eliminate, reduce, or repurpose food waste. We will continue to partner with, and support, community-based food security organizations to make sure all Canadians have access to healthy food.
●  Working with provinces, territories, and farmers— including Indigenous and young farmers—to update business risk management agriculture programs to fully integrate climate risk management, environmental practices, and climate readiness.
●  Tripling the funding for cleantech on farms, including for renewable energy, precision agriculture, and energy efficiency.

As I have been meeting with farmers in Perth-Wellington I have been pleased with their desire to be part of the solution to the climate crisis. Canadian farmers understand the impacts that climate change is having on the agriculture and are prepared to play a role in addressing climate change.

Directly from the NDP platform: “And we will support sustainable agriculture, working with Canadian farmers to promote sustainable land-management techniques and methods to reduce GHG emissions. We’ll also work with the agricultural sector to help them access low carbon tools and technology, and adapt to climate-induced weather changes and other impacts of the climate crisis, including the associated increase in pests and invasive species.”

“We know that supporting our local food systems is essential to ensuring that Canadians have access to healthy, affordable food. We’ll work to connect Canadians to farmers with initiatives like local food hubs, community supported agriculture, and networks to increase the amount of food that is sold, processed and consumed in local and regional markets.

New Democrats will also work together with farmers and food producers to develop a National Food Policy, making our food systems stronger all across the country – including food labelling and traceability, so that Canadians can be confident in what they’re purchasing to put on their family’s plate. We’ll also work to put in place a food waste strategy to reduce the huge amounts of food that currently go to waste in Canada.”

Awaiting submission.

Awaiting submission.

We will permanently increase funding to the National Housing Co-Investment fund by a total of $2.7 billion over 4 years, more than double its current allocation.

These extra funds will be dedicated to helping affordable housing providers acquire land and buildings to build and preserve more units, extending the model of co-operative housing to new communities, accelerating critical repairs so that housing supply remains affordable and is not lost, and developing projects for vulnerable groups, such as women, youth, and persons with disabilities.

Safe, accessible, affordable, and sustainable housing for everyone is foundational to the NDP vision laid out by our platform commitments.

The NDP has a comprehensive housing strategy that includes: a Housing First strategy to address homelessness, building 500,000 sustainable and affordable rental units, making it easier for first time home buyers to buy a home, making accessibility for seniors and people disabilities a priority, and creating a green infrastructure program that puts sustainability of new homes and retrofitting of older homes at the centre of the program.

Making housing more affordable and at the same time addressing climate change is a win-win that is not only possible but a more efficient way to address both challenges. A review of our platform document demonstrates how housing can and should be part of the solution to multiple issues that we face as a country – everything from the climate crisis, to mental health, to reconciliation.

Awaiting submission.

Awaiting submission.

Liberals are committed to supporting the revitalization of Indigenous laws, legal systems, and traditions. Full implementation of UNDRIP requires a whole-of-government approach. We will include, in all cabinet ministers’ mandate letters, the requirement to implement UNDRIP, and ensure their offices and ministries work alongside Indigenous peoples to advance their rights. The Indigenous Guardians pilot program launched in 2017, helped establish Canada’s first-ever Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area. A re-elected Liberal government will work with First
Nations, Inuit, and Métis partners to support new Indigenous Guardians programs and establish new Indigenous Guardians Networks. We will support Indigenous communities to build capacity to establish more IPCAs.

With the launch of the AgriDiversity program, the FCC Women Entrepreneur Program, the Canadian Agriculture Youth Council and the AAFC Youth and Employment and Skills Program, we’re working for greater inclusion of under-represented groups in agriculture, including youth, women, Indigenous Peoples, and persons with disabilities. These programs will create 2,000 youth jobs in the agriculture sector in 2021.

As already mentioned above, we have promised to work with provinces, territories, and farmers— including Indigenous and young farmers—to update business risk management agriculture programs to fully integrate climate risk management, environmental practices, and climate readiness.

At the heart of the NDP’s commitment to Reconciliation in Action is a fundamental understanding that Indigenous peoples bring essential perspective to environmental issues, including protection of water resources and addressing the climate crisis. Indigenous communities have been at the forefront of renewable energy projects.

Reconciliation is not just the work required to establish a nation to nation relationship in the context of addressing the harms of colonization. It is also about understanding how much we can learn from Indigenous people about environmental stewardship. This is why UNDRIP is embedded directly into our climate action plan: “And we will do it by working together, putting the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples – which is now law – into action in our collective fight against the climate crisis. And creating an Office of Environmental Justice to address the disproportionate impacts of pollution and loss of biodiversity on low-income, racialized and other marginalized communities”

Awaiting submission.

Awaiting submission.

Resilient and protected nature is essential for fighting climate change. Trees offers a two-fold benefit, capturing and storing carbon from the atmosphere and protecting communities from climate change’s impact by acting as a buffer to flooding and extreme heat.

To continue protecting more nature and fighting climate change, a re-elected Liberal government will:

●  Continue planting 2 billion trees across the country, creating roughly 4,300 jobs.
●  Restore and enhance more wetlands, grasslands, and peatlands, to capture and store carbon.
●  Increase support to farmers to develop and adopt agricultural management practices to reduce emissions, store carbon in healthy soil, and enhance resiliency.

Cover cropping, rotational grazing and nitrogen management are all part of a green farming plan for Canada. This plan will not only protect nature and help fight climate change, but also create jobs, help farmers, and help preserve biodiversity across the country.

Trees are an important piece of any climate change mitigation strategy, both short and long term. Trees not only sequester carbon, but they also contribute to protection against flood damage and erosion caused by increasing severe weather events. An extensive tree canopy protects urban communities from extreme heat and protects agricultural communities from flooding and erosion damage.

Tree planting is one strategy that can be implemented by all levels of government and so a federal tree planting program is a good way to expand on local and provincial programs and also ensure that all regions of the country are included. The Liberal plan to plant 2 billion extra trees by 2030 trees has stalled and a New Democrat government would kick-start that program. Tree planting is important, however tree preservation is something that has to be included in any tree canopy strategy. It is far easier to save trees than to wait for trees to grow.

While the federal government does not control much of this area there is a role for the federal government to protect federal crown land that is forested from development.

Awaiting submission.

Awaiting submission.

The new Perth County Connect bus service has been a positive development in our area.

A re-elected Liberal government is committed to developing rural transit solutions. Investments in public transit up until this year were ten times those of the Conservative government. Earlier this year, the Liberal government invested an additional $14.9 billion and established Canada’s first permanent public transit fund. We’re committing to make High Frequency Rail a reality moving ahead on a project in the Toronto to Quebec City corridor using electrified technology. We will launch a procurement process by the end of 2021 and explore other opportunities to extend the rail toward London.

Municipal projects in Stratford require the cooperation and support from both the provincial and federal government. I will advocate for, and vote to support, funding of walking and cycling infrastructure to make Stratford a healthier place to live.

The NDP transportation plan covers both public and active transportation. It will provide financial supports to municipalities as they work towards low carbon public transportation and active transportation. The NDP sees a strong collaboration between municipalities and the federal government when it comes to transportation. This is a natural collaboration given the expertise municipalities have with respect to local and regional public transportation needs. Highlights from our platform:

“We will support transit by permanently doubling the Canada Community-Building Fund and we will develop a public inter-city bus program.”

“Municipalities are already making investments in public transit in their communities, but they need a federal partner to champion public transit throughout the country. New Democrats will modernize and expand public transit within and between communities across Canada and ensure that federal transit funding flows with an emphasis on scaling up low carbon transit projects like zero-emissions buses and electric trains with the goal of electrifying transit and other municipal fleets by 2030.”

“For provinces and municipalities that identify it as a priority, we will help them build towards fare-free transit to ease commutes, help people make ends meet and lower emissions.”

“To help replace the loss of Greyhound routes, we’ll develop a public inter-city bus system. We will also support creating high-frequency rail along the Quebec-Windsor corridor, expand rail service options in other regions, and work to restore the Ontario Northlander to support the crucial transportation link for communities and businesses alike in Northern Ontario

“… we will promote smart community planning and active transportation like walking and cycling, helping Canadians make choices that are healthier and more affordable for everyone. And we will work with other levels of government to encourage the use of electric bikes and their safe integration into our active transportation network.

Awaiting submission.

Awaiting submission.

Climate change isn’t just an environmental issue, it’s a competitiveness issue for the oil and gas sector. The climate science is clear and global investors are clear, the oil and gas sector must accelerate its efforts to get on a path to net-zero emissions.

That is why a re-elected Liberal Government will put in place a decisive plan to ensure the oil and gas sector reaches net-zero emissions by 2050.

A re-elected Liberal government will:

• Make sure the oil and gas sector reduces emissions at a pace and scale needed to achieve net-zero by 2050, with 5-year targets to stay on track to achieving this shared goal. And driving down pollution starts with ensuring that pollution from the oil and gas sector doesn’t go up from current levels.
• Set 2025 and 2030 milestones based on the advice of the Net-Zero Advisory Body to ensure reduction levels are ambitious and achievable and that the oil and gas sector makes a meaningful contribution to meeting the nation’s 2030 climate goals.

Canada’s largest oil and gas companies are committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. These actions will incentivize clean innovation and the adoption of clean technologies, including carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS). We must hold them to account and advocate for an even faster and more ambitious transition.

Directly from our Platform, we will: “take climate leadership, building on Canada’s new net-zero law, by setting an ambitious target of reducing our emissions by at least 50% from 2005 levels by 2030. To help us reach that goal we would eliminate fossil fuel subsidies, put in place carbon budgets and change the mandate of the Bank of Canada to focus on contributing to net zero.”

The NDP will meet Canada’s commitment to the G20 of ending subsidies by 2025 and will go further by passing a law that bans future oil, gas, and pipeline subsidies.

To support a reduction in the demand for fossil fuels the NDP has committed to aggressively transitioning away from fossil fuel powered vehicles to zero emissions vehicles. In addition to incentives for individuals to buy hybrid and electric vehicles there needs to be a strategy to accelerate the conversion of car manufacturing to zero-emissions vehicles, while at the same time supporting Canadian auto workers. We will support the Canadian manufacturing of zero-emissions vehicles by ensuring that federal incentives prioritize those vehicles that are made in Canada.

Awaiting submission.