Bill C-12

She helped found Pour nos enfants / For Our Kids Montréal, and now a core group of 30 moms and two dads remind decision-makers that a future for families is worth saving. 

Many Canadian environmental groups have chosen to applaud the passage of Bill C-12 — while holding their noses over its inadequacies — because they are desperate for any legislation that might help move the federal government to action on the climate crisis, writes Ken Johnson.

Ottawa's climate accountability and transparency act is set to become law. While many applaud the effort, some experts say it falls short of where Canada should be.

Once again, we are staring down the clock on climate accountability legislation, writes Anjali Helferty, executive director of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment.

The quest to improve Canada's climate accountability bill revealed deep and widespread climate concern, with some collegial collaboration, writes engineer and Leadnow volunteer Ian Theaker.

Bill C-12 is a better bill today because of our efforts, write NDP MPs Laurel Collins and Taylor Bachrach. But let’s be clear: this isn’t the climate plan we would have written.

Bill C-12 would be strengthened by stipulating an independent scientific expert body that reports to Parliament to ensure it is immune from political retaliation, write physicians Courtney Howard and Claudel Pétrin-Desrosiers.

With Bill C-12 on the cusp of becoming law, Environment and Climate Change Minister Jonathan Wilkinson defended the climate accountability bill Wednesday from charges it's too weak.

The groups say the bill, known as the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act, may not be perfect, but it can be improved on in the future. Stalling it would be much worse for Canada’s climate plan, they say in a letter.

Green Party of Canada Leader Annamie Paul says important climate legislation is failing to get the scrutiny it deserves.

“Is this an ideological reason, that people didn’t want to vote on the Greens (amendment) but are ready to vote on the government’s? I’m wondering,” said Bloc Québécois MP Monique Pauzé.

“If we are to talk about economics in general, I think we can’t hide the fact that there is huge divestment happening from the fossil fuel sector,” says David Suzuki Foundation director general for Quebec and Atlantic Canada, Sabaa Khan.

Canada's environment minister has proposed changes to the bill that would make the federal government more accountable as it strives to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. 

It is time to stop worrying about the impacts of climate change on health and start creating a healthy future for ourselves and our communities, write Dr. Courtney Howard and Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions president Linda Silas.