Dear Prime Minister Trudeau and Deputy Prime Minister Freeland,
As a parent, I'm adding my voice to those of thousands of Canadians calling on you to commit to a green and just recovery from COVID-19. We can't afford to go back to the same systems that have fostered social, economic and racial injustices and created a climate crisis.
Parents have always been concerned about their children's future, but the devastation being caused by climate change today is unprecedented, and it is intensifying. This global pandemic is a preview of what our kids will face on an ongoing basis. That’s not the life I want for them.
Government action is needed. The decisions you're making about Canada’s recovery can put us on the right path – to lowering GHG emissions, moving immediately from fossil fuels to sustainable energy, investing in clean jobs and retraining, strengthening public health, education, transit and housing, and removing the inequities that expose vulnerable, racialized and marginalized people to disproportionately greater harm from climate and health crises.
It’s not easy to make those decisions, but I’m urging you to look beyond what seem like simple solutions and take action to create a more just and sustainable recovery. Your actions won’t only impact us over the next few years – they mean the difference between a liveable future or one of unending crisis. As a parent, I call on you to make the right choices, for all our kids.