nationalobserver--2020-11-13--Five post-Trump obstacles standing in the way of a global green recovery

This article was originally published by The Guardian and appears here as part of Canada 's National Observer 's collaboration with Climate Desk .
Environmentalists have been heartened by Joe Biden ’ s victory as , if the U.S. rejoins the Paris Agreement as expected , it will give the world a much better chance of averting climate catastrophe .
However , there are still hurdles to overcome to rein in emissions and keep warming to within 1.5 C above pre-industrial levels .
More important still would be a commitment to shift the focus of Belt and Road investment to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the global transition away from fossil fuels .
“ The most critical recovery is China , ” says Bob Ward of the Grantham Institute at LSE .
“ It holds a lot of debt in other countries and funds dirty industries overseas .
If it continues , that it will undermine global efforts to cut emissions.
” The world ’ s other two main coal financiers , Japan and South Korea , also have a role to play .
Both recently set 2050 zero-carbon goals , which is encouraging in the long term @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about climate action , they need to overcome resistance from old-fashioned industries — notably Toyota and Hitachi in Japan and Doosan in South Korea — and send a clear message that all future investment must be fossil-fuel free .
Donald Trump has been the face of climate denial for the last four years , but his defeat will not be enough to transform the U.S. into an engine for global green recovery unless the Democrats can regain control of the Senate .
Though the victory of U.S. president-elect Joe Biden is a positive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hurdles to overcome to rein in emissions and keep warming to within 1.5 C above pre-industrial levels .
# climatechange Joe Biden , the science-friendly president-elect , is already assembling a team of climate experts .
On taking office in January , he will almost immediately rejoin the Paris Agreement .
Whether this will be anything more than a symbolic victory will depend on the division of power in Congress .
If the Democrats can win the Senate run-off in Georgia and tie the number of seats in the upper chamber , then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have the deciding vote on climate legislation and budgets , such as the US $ 2-trillion green new deal promised in the campaign .
If , on the other hand , the Republican party maintains control of the Senate , it is likely to continue to block ambitious action and international co-operation , as it did during the Clinton and Obama presidencies .
Powerful lobbyists , well funded by the likes of Exxon , Chevron and Koch Industries , will also continue to deny , delay and disrupt .
Legal challenges will go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recent memory .
Rob Jackson , chair of the Global Carbon project , fears division will once again stymie action at the national level .
“ I don ’ t see a path to the green new deal in the current political climate here , ” he says .
“ A divided Congress would almost certainly mean that a big-picture climate bill wouldn ’ t happen over the next two years , and president Biden will be unlikely to get anything big through Congress.
” All is not lost .
Jackson notes state-level @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the U.S. regardless of who is in the White House .
Another big question is whether Wall Street will call time on fossil fuels , which would change everything .
Unlikely as it seems , if the U.S. could unite around a massive green stimulus program , this would ripple positively across the world .
Europe is setting the green recovery pace , but it would be progressing at a substantially faster clip were it not for lobbying by powerful carbon-intensive industries such as farming in France , coal in Germany and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Netherlands .
This is also true for the aviation sector , which has evaded responsibility for cutting CO in national climate plans .
Airbus , Lufthansa , KLM and other carriers have long campaigned against higher airline taxes , binding targets for green fuel and low-carbon aircraft .
Industry organizations including Airlines for Europe and Airlines for America have influenced Brussels to relax or drop emissions trading requirements .
Industry watchers say this resistance may be softening because of COVID-19 , with airlines and plane-makers desperate for bailouts .
This gives governments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ return .
In Germany , Lufthansa has been told its public advocacy must align with Europe ’ s climate objectives , which should halt lobbying against ambitious green standards and stronger obligations under the emissions trading scheme .
In France , the head of Airbus , Guillaume Faury , is starting to talk of “ carbon-based decision-making.
” He wants to take advantage of a scrappage scheme to replace older polluting aircraft with cleaner new models and to win funding for research into hydrogen or electric aircraft .
Spain , now the fastest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ use of clean fuels .
Not all the changes are as progressive as they seem .
In the Netherlands , KLM has become an enthusiastic supporter of higher standards for inter-European flights , though that is less impressive when you realize this accounts for only 20 per cent of its business .
Andrew Murphy , aviation director at the NGO Transport & Environment says he is cautiously optimistic .
“ Things are changing in the way industry is behaving .
Because they need government support , they are not openly opposing action as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says .
The crucial test will be a debate about the EU ’ s revised emissions reductions targets .
“ That will be a big decision , ” says Murphy .
“ The EU should be explicit that aviation is included in emissions targets.
” Just as important , he says , will be Europe ’ s willingness to move ahead without waiting for the rest of the world and the laggard UN aviation agency , Icao , which has been susceptible to industry pressure , particularly from the U.S. U.K. failing to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Minister Boris Johnson on a walk in Croyden , Nov. 22 , 2011 .
Image by BackBoris2012Campaign “ Mind the Gap ” should be stamped across the top of every climate briefing document handed to Boris Johnson over the next year , or the U.K. ’ s hopes of hosting a successful UN climate conference will founder in accusations of hypocrisy .
COP26 is likely to be the most important international event of the prime minister ’ s tenure .
The gathering , in November 2021 , aims to go a step further @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to set more ambitious targets , and put the world back on track to keep global heating to between 1.5 C and 2 C above pre-industrial levels .
It is also the most likely way for “ Britain ’ s Trump ” to reach out to Biden , with whom he shares little common ground .
In public , Johnson is increasingly positive about climate action , but he has a long way to go before he can convince anyone he is genuinely enthusiastic .
As a newspaper columnist , his position on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ MP , his climate voting record was even cooler .
The U.K. also has a gap to make up .
Successive governments have presented themselves as global climate leaders .
This administration boasts of being a front-runner in setting a 2050 goal for carbon neutrality .
But climate campaigners say long-term targets are irresponsible unless matched by action in the near term .
The U.K. is still off course , even for the goals it set five years ago .
Long-term observers say the moment ought to be ripe to make a big @ @ @ @ @ @ @ however , “ green recovery ” plans announced by the government have failed to impress .
“ My feeling is this government would be in a better place to do a proper green new deal than any previous because of it clearly being an interest of Johnson ’ s and because the fiscal constraints are suddenly off , ” says Douglas Parr , chief scientist and policy director at Greenpeace UK .
But he fears this is not yet a sufficiently urgent political priority , the public is wedded to cars , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Department for Business , Energy and Industrial Strategy ( BEIS ) , and local authorities are not designed or funded enough to act at the speed and scale of change required .
Others fear Johnson ’ s inner circle contains too many skeptics , including those who previously worked for right-wing think tanks such as the Institute of Economic Affairs and TaxPayers ’ Alliance , both of which opposed proposals for a green new deal after the 2008-09 financial crisis .
Many senior conservative politicians , despite talking up a green recovery from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ industries .
New data from the investigative journalist group DeSmog UK found BEIS ministers met BP , Shell and other fossil fuel producers almost 150 times in the early months of the lockdown , and renewable energy producers only 17 times .
“ The government doesn ’ t reveal what is said in those meetings .
But the level of access the industry gets implies that , at best , ministers are mainly listening to big polluters when planning a green recovery , or at worst are disregarding it in order to prop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says Mat Hope , the editor of DeSmog UK .
Whichever is true , there is a credibility gap to close if the next COP host wants to lead by example .
From Rupert Murdoch ’ s media empire to populists such as the Brazilian president , Jair Bolsonaro , right-wing resistance to pro-climate government intervention takes many forms .
But a starting point is disinformation : undermining climate science in the opinion pages of the Wall Street Journal or the Australian , downplaying the link between human emissions and extreme weather events @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in news reports , or distracting attention with false equivalences such as the recent call on world leaders to “ fight the virus not carbon ” by the Climate Intelligence foundation ( Clintel ) , a European group opposing climate action with links to British Conservatives and similar parties in the European parliament .
Opponents of green new deals say they are poor value for money and climate risks are exaggerated .
In the U.K. , the Global Warming Policy Foundation , co-founded by the former U.K. chancellor Lord Lawson , recently put @ @ @ @ @ @ @ green recovery package on the grounds that more wind and solar would make energy more expensive .
Similar arguments are put forward in two recently published books by Bjorn Lomborg and by Michael Shellenberger .
Critics say such claims are refuted by the sharply falling costs of renewables , which are often now cheaper than coal and oil , and the cost of inaction : worsening forest fires , droughts , hurricanes and floods .
The increasingly evident global toll of the climate crisis makes out-and-out denial all but impossible .
Instead , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ideology .
Brazil ’ s foreign minister , Eduardo Araújo , suggests climate campaigns are part of a global Marxist plot .
His boss , Bolsonaro , says environmental NGOs trying to protect the Amazon are part of a foreign conspiracy to stifle economic development .
Neither has provided a shred of evidence to back up their accusations .
Brazil , meanwhile , is heading in the opposite direction of a green new deal .
The state-led oil company Petrobras recently sold off its shares in renewable energy .
The government is basing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up the Amazon to more mining , farming and logging .
Once Trump leaves office , Bolsonaro will replace him as the global face of climate disruption .

“Drinking poison to quench thirst” is how energy analysts describe China’s efforts to boost economic recovery by pumping money into dirty industries, such as coal. No nation is as important to the global climate as China, the world’s biggest emitter, which is why President Xi Jinping’s promise to make his country carbon-neutral by 2060 generated optimism around the world.
Environmentalists have been heartened by Joe Biden ’s victory as, if the U.S. rejoins the Paris Agreement as expected, it will give the world a much better chance of averting climate catastrophe. However, there are still hurdles to overcome to rein in emissions and keep warming to within 1.5 C above pre-industrial levels.
This article was originally published by The Guardian and appears here as part of Canada's National Observer 's collaboration with Climate Desk.
Much will depend on China’s next five-year plan, being drawn up by the central committee. Although these deliberations have received scant media attention compared with the U.S. election, they are more important in climate terms. Energy experts say an ambitious Chinese strategy would reduce coal use to less than 50 per cent of the energy mix and increase renewables to around 25 per cent by 2025. If the government also put in place an emissions cap, it would mark a positive step forward.
Similarly, dirty power projects dominate energy spending overseas on the Belt and Road Initiative , China’s global infrastructure development strategy introduced in 2013 to invest in nearly 70 countries and international organizations. Analysts say this needs to change if the world is to have any chance of keeping temperature rises to the Paris accord goal of between 1.5 C and 2 C.
But state and provincial financing institutions do not seem to have received the memo. A Guardian-commissioned ranking of national green recovery plans put China last among major economies, with only 0.3 per cent of its stimulus package set aside for renewables and other sustainable projects . Instead, there has been a glut of new domestic coal financing.
Donald Trump has been the face of climate denial for the last four years, but his defeat will not be enough to transform the U.S. into an engine for global green recovery unless the Democrats can regain control of the Senate.
The world’s other two main coal financiers, Japan and South Korea, also have a role to play. Both recently set 2050 zero-carbon goals, which is encouraging in the long term, but if their governments are serious about climate action, they need to overcome resistance from old-fashioned industries — notably Toyota and Hitachi in Japan and Doosan in South Korea — and send a clear message that all future investment must be fossil-fuel free.
More important still would be a commitment to shift the focus of Belt and Road investment to renewables, which could see China leading the global transition away from fossil fuels. “The most critical recovery is China,” says Bob Ward of the Grantham Institute at LSE. “It holds a lot of debt in other countries and funds dirty industries overseas. If it continues, that it will undermine global efforts to cut emissions.”
Rob Jackson, chair of the Global Carbon project, fears division will once again stymie action at the national level. “I don’t see a path to the green new deal in the current political climate here,” he says. “A divided Congress would almost certainly mean that a big-picture climate bill wouldn’t happen over the next two years, and president Biden will be unlikely to get anything big through Congress.”
If the Democrats can win the Senate run-off in Georgia and tie the number of seats in the upper chamber, then the vice-president-elect, Kamala Harris, should have the deciding vote on climate legislation and budgets, such as the US$2-trillion green new deal promised in the campaign. If, on the other hand, the Republican party maintains control of the Senate, it is likely to continue to block ambitious action and international co-operation, as it did during the Clinton and Obama presidencies. Powerful lobbyists, well funded by the likes of Exxon, Chevron and Koch Industries, will also continue to deny, delay and disrupt. Legal challenges will go to the most conservative Supreme Court in recent memory.
Joe Biden, the science-friendly president-elect, is already assembling a team of climate experts. On taking office in January, he will almost immediately rejoin the Paris Agreement. Whether this will be anything more than a symbolic victory will depend on the division of power in Congress.
All is not lost. Jackson notes state-level actions have been leading the climate agenda in the U.S. regardless of who is in the White House. Another big question is whether Wall Street will call time on fossil fuels, which would change everything. Unlikely as it seems, if the U.S. could unite around a massive green stimulus program, this would ripple positively across the world.
European industry lobbying
Europe is setting the green recovery pace, but it would be progressing at a substantially faster clip were it not for lobbying by powerful carbon-intensive industries such as farming in France, coal in Germany and Poland, or oil in the UK and Netherlands.
This is also true for the aviation sector, which has evaded responsibility for cutting CO 2 in national climate plans. Airbus, Lufthansa, KLM and other carriers have long campaigned against higher airline taxes, binding targets for green fuel and low-carbon aircraft. Industry organizations including Airlines for Europe and Airlines for America have influenced Brussels to relax or drop emissions trading requirements.
Industry watchers say this resistance may be softening because of COVID-19, with airlines and plane-makers desperate for bailouts. This gives governments the leverage to insist on something in return. In Germany, Lufthansa has been told its public advocacy must align with Europe’s climate objectives, which should halt lobbying against ambitious green standards and stronger obligations under the emissions trading scheme. In France, the head of Airbus, Guillaume Faury, is starting to talk of “carbon-based decision-making.” He wants to take advantage of a scrappage scheme to replace older polluting aircraft with cleaner new models and to win funding for research into hydrogen or electric aircraft. Spain, now the fastest mover in Europe, is mandating greater use of clean fuels.
Not all the changes are as progressive as they seem. In the Netherlands, KLM has become an enthusiastic supporter of higher standards for inter-European flights, though that is less impressive when you realize this accounts for only 20 per cent of its business.
Andrew Murphy, aviation director at the NGO Transport & Environment says he is cautiously optimistic. “Things are changing in the way industry is behaving. Because they need government support, they are not openly opposing action as they used to do,” he says.
The crucial test will be a debate about the EU’s revised emissions reductions targets. “That will be a big decision,” says Murphy. “The EU should be explicit that aviation is included in emissions targets.” Just as important, he says, will be Europe’s willingness to move ahead without waiting for the rest of the world and the laggard UN aviation agency, Icao, which has been susceptible to industry pressure, particularly from the U.S.
U.K. failing to set example as COP26 host
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on a walk in Croyden, Nov. 22, 2011. Image by BackBoris2012Campaign
“Mind the Gap” should be stamped across the top of every climate briefing document handed to Boris Johnson over the next year, or the U.K.’s hopes of hosting a successful UN climate conference will founder in accusations of hypocrisy.
COP26 is likely to be the most important international event of the prime minister’s tenure. The gathering, in November 2021, aims to go a step further than the Paris Agreement, prompt governments to set more ambitious targets, and put the world back on track to keep global heating to between 1.5 C and 2 C above pre-industrial levels. It is also the most likely way for “Britain’s Trump” to reach out to Biden, with whom he shares little common ground.
In public, Johnson is increasingly positive about climate action, but he has a long way to go before he can convince anyone he is genuinely enthusiastic. As a newspaper columnist, his position on cutting emissions was lukewarm; as an MP, his climate voting record was even cooler.
The U.K. also has a gap to make up. Successive governments have presented themselves as global climate leaders. This administration boasts of being a front-runner in setting a 2050 goal for carbon neutrality. But climate campaigners say long-term targets are irresponsible unless matched by action in the near term. The U.K. is still off course, even for the goals it set five years ago.
Long-term observers say the moment ought to be ripe to make a big change after COVID-19. Until now, however, “green recovery” plans announced by the government have failed to impress.
“My feeling is this government would be in a better place to do a proper green new deal than any previous because of it clearly being an interest of Johnson’s and because the fiscal constraints are suddenly off,” says Douglas Parr, chief scientist and policy director at Greenpeace UK. But he fears this is not yet a sufficiently urgent political priority, the public is wedded to cars, and U.K. institutions such as Ofgem, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), and local authorities are not designed or funded enough to act at the speed and scale of change required.
Others fear Johnson’s inner circle contains too many skeptics, including those who previously worked for right-wing think tanks such as the Institute of Economic Affairs and TaxPayers’ Alliance, both of which opposed proposals for a green new deal after the 2008-09 financial crisis.
Many senior conservative politicians, despite talking up a green recovery from the pandemic, remain wedded to old industries. New data from the investigative journalist group DeSmog UK found BEIS ministers met BP, Shell and other fossil fuel producers almost 150 times in the early months of the lockdown, and renewable energy producers only 17 times.
“The government doesn’t reveal what is said in those meetings. But the level of access the industry gets implies that, at best, ministers are mainly listening to big polluters when planning a green recovery, or at worst are disregarding it in order to prop up the fossil fuel industry,” says Mat Hope, the editor of DeSmog UK.
Whichever is true, there is a credibility gap to close if the next COP host wants to lead by example.
Global disinformers, delayers and deniers
From Rupert Murdoch’s media empire to populists such as the Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro, right-wing resistance to pro-climate government intervention takes many forms. But a starting point is disinformation: undermining climate science in the opinion pages of the Wall Street Journal or the Australian, downplaying the link between human emissions and extreme weather events such as fires, floods and droughts in news reports, or distracting attention with false equivalences such as the recent call on world leaders to “fight the virus not carbon” by the Climate Intelligence foundation (Clintel), a European group opposing climate action with links to British Conservatives and similar parties in the European parliament.
Opponents of green new deals say they are poor value for money and climate risks are exaggerated. In the U.K., the Global Warming Policy Foundation, co-founded by the former U.K. chancellor Lord Lawson, recently put out a paper warning against a post-COVID green recovery package on the grounds that more wind and solar would make energy more expensive. Similar arguments are put forward in two recently published books by Bjorn Lomborg and by Michael Shellenberger.
Critics say such claims are refuted by the sharply falling costs of renewables, which are often now cheaper than coal and oil, and the cost of inaction: worsening forest fires, droughts, hurricanes and floods.
The increasingly evident global toll of the climate crisis makes out-and-out denial all but impossible. Instead, the extreme right shift their doubt-mongering toward ideology. Brazil’s foreign minister, Eduardo Araújo, suggests climate campaigns are part of a global Marxist plot. His boss, Bolsonaro, says environmental NGOs trying to protect the Amazon are part of a foreign conspiracy to stifle economic development. Neither has provided a shred of evidence to back up their accusations.
Brazil, meanwhile, is heading in the opposite direction of a green new deal. The state-led oil company Petrobras recently sold off its shares in renewable energy. The government is basing its hopes for economic recovery on opening up the Amazon to more mining, farming and logging. Once Trump leaves office, Bolsonaro will replace him as the global face of climate disruption.


nationalobserver--2020-11-13--Even under Trump, America did a better job at tackling the climate emergency than Canada did, says G

Even under Trump, America did a better job at tackling the climate emergency than Canada did, says Green Party Leader Annamie Paul

Annamie Paul , the newly minted leader of the Green Party of Canada , is n't here to pull punches .
Paul was sharp when discussing the country ’ s environmental and political predicaments on Thursday evening with Canada ’ s National Observer editor-in-chef Linda Solomon Wood , and though Paul has a game plan to take the country out of the environmental red , she had some hard but vital truths to share with Canadians .
“ Canadians don ’ t like to hear it , and I don ’ t like to say it , but even under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ better job at tackling the climate emergency over his four years than Canada did , ” Paul said during the public conversation via Zoom .
“ Canada remains … one of the worst emitters per capita in the entire world.
” Those twin facts are likely sobering — if not altogether shocking — for Canadians who have watched the U.S. president trample over sense and science in the face of a climate crisis that continues to enact devastating weather events on Americans .
But Paul noted despite the president ’ s lethal rhetoric @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and consistently ” following their own protocols to reduce emissions .
California , which has dealt with “ outright warfare ” from the president ’ s administration , is the case upon which president-elect Joe Biden has built some of his climate policy , including carbon-free energy by 2035 .
“ I want us to do what we have done at various moments in our history , in a way that has created more safety and security for people in Canada , ” she said .
“ I want us to come together @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thing to do , and I would say that we ’ ve never been closer to that than we are now.
” Paul cited the popular support for a guaranteed livable income — one of her key policy points — as an example of a material opportunity that could be implemented by an inter-party coalition .
Often referred to by other monikers , like universal basic income , the concept of state-funded income dates back to the 1500s , and was championed by the likes of Martin Luther King Jr. and Buckminster Fuller @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in theory and structure by neoliberal politics , which demand that in order to receive the income , one must demonstrate utility and desire to work .
In recent years , the idea of a guaranteed livable income — livable being a lexical distinction articulated by grassroots groups to imbue the program with dignity and autonomy — has grown in popularity as advocates and political leaders continue to identify it as a means of eradicating poverty , homelessness and other conditions of social neglect .
“ We do have a myth here in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the climate , or that we ’ re cleaner than the United States , and we are not , ” Green party Leader Annamie Paul said Thursday in conversation with Canada 's National Observer .
But despite the Liberals ’ apparent support for the program , it was absent from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ’ s throne speech .
The missing link in getting it off the ground , said Paul , is “ the political leadership to get it over the finish line.
” “ I think that there is just a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , wondering whether Trudeau ’ s Liberals see the required negotiation and collaboration as too big a task .
“ Unfortunately , in general , our party structure tends to stifle big ideas .
We need more Greens elected because we ’ re not afraid of those big ideas.
” Paul was firm , however , that she can ’ t do this work alone .
“ I do not have all the answers , ” she said .
“ I did not magically get a box of them the day that I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ welcome and strangely satisfying during a year of increasing confusion with government messaging .
Though Paul has not yet proven her policy plans , and currently doesn ’ t hold a seat in Parliament , the blunt truth of the matter is that we — as a country and a planet — have only a select few paths to weather these crises .
We can no longer afford the norm .
“ To arrive at a different destination , ” said Paul , “ we have to make different choices to get there @ @

Annamie Paul, the newly minted leader of the Green Party of Canada, isn't here to pull punches. Paul was sharp when discussing the country’s environmental and political predicaments on Thursday evening with Canada’s National Observer editor-in-chef Linda Solomon Wood, and though Paul has a game plan to take the country out of the environmental red, she had some hard but vital truths to share with Canadians. “Canadians don’t like to hear it, and I don’t like to say it, but even under Donald Trump, the Americans did a better job at tackling the climate emergency over his four years than Canada did,” Paul said during the public conversation via Zoom. “Canada remains … one of the worst emitters per capita in the entire world.” Those twin facts are likely sobering — if not altogether shocking — for Canadians who have watched the U.S. president trample over sense and science in the face of a climate crisis that continues to enact devastating weather events on Americans. But Paul noted despite the president’s lethal rhetoric, most states have been “quietly and consistently” following their own protocols to reduce emissions. California, which has dealt with “outright warfare” from the president’s administration, is the case upon which president-elect Joe Biden has built some of his climate policy, including carbon-free energy by 2035. “We do have a myth here in Canada that we actually are leaders on the climate, or that we’re cleaner than the United States, and we are not,” said Paul. “We need to be honest with ourselves about where we’re at so that we can get where we want to be.” Video of Annamie Paul: Even under Donald Trump, Americans better tackled climate crisis
[Green Party leader Annamie Paul speaks with editor-in-chief Linda Solomon Wood on Nov. 12, 2020] Paul observed that Biden and vice-president-elect Kamala Harris have forwarded policies, including a carbon border adjustment, that put them at “the vanguard of thinking” on climate policy. Other Democratic leaders, like fan favourites Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders, have been advocating for the aggressive Green New Deal with growing support. Canada, said Paul, needs to play catch-up. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions “We still have a chance to be leaders,” said Paul. “But we don’t have that much time left. Now it’s our chance to do the work.”
Paul was voted leader of the Greens on Oct. 3, and has taken the reins under the most perilous of conditions. Like all other Canadians, Paul and her party are facing compounding social, political and economic disasters, all unfurling beneath the hulking, inescapable spectre of an increasingly severe climate crisis. Canada is now seeing a record-smashing nationwide spike in COVID-19 cases, while unemployment in our largest cities rises and relief isn’t on the horizon. The stakes could hardly be higher. “We do have a myth here in Canada that we actually are leaders on the climate, or that we’re cleaner than the United States, and we are not,” Green party Leader Annamie Paul said Thursday in conversation with Canada's National Observer. Paul seemed on Thursday evening to embody a sort of tonal antidote to these and other existential crises. Rather than divert into huffy admonishments or partisan sniping, Paul preached the importance of cross-party co-operation to develop solutions. Paul explained that this approach isn’t particularly revolutionary, but rather a tradition in times of crisis. “I want us to do what we have done at various moments in our history, in a way that has created more safety and security for people in Canada,” she said. “I want us to come together and agree that this is the right thing to do, and I would say that we’ve never been closer to that than we are now.” Paul cited the popular support for a guaranteed livable income — one of her key policy points — as an example of a material opportunity that could be implemented by an inter-party coalition. Often referred to by other monikers, like universal basic income, the concept of state-funded income dates back to the 1500s, and was championed by the likes of Martin Luther King Jr. and Buckminster Fuller. The programs have sometimes been co-opted in theory and structure by neoliberal politics, which demand that in order to receive the income, one must demonstrate utility and desire to work. In recent years, the idea of a guaranteed livable income — livable being a lexical distinction articulated by grassroots groups to imbue the program with dignity and autonomy — has grown in popularity as advocates and political leaders continue to identify it as a means of eradicating poverty, homelessness and other conditions of social neglect.
But despite the Liberals’ apparent support for the program, it was absent from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s throne speech. The missing link in getting it off the ground, said Paul, is “the political leadership to get it over the finish line.” “I think that there is just a lack of vision,” she said, wondering whether Trudeau’s Liberals see the required negotiation and collaboration as too big a task. “Unfortunately, in general, our party structure tends to stifle big ideas. We need more Greens elected because we’re not afraid of those big ideas.” Paul was firm, however, that she can’t do this work alone. “I do not have all the answers,” she said. “I did not magically get a box of them the day that I won the leadership.”


nationalobserver--2020-11-13--EXCLUSIVE: Former Ontario environmental commissioner Dianne Saxe to run for provincial Greens

Former Ontario environmental commissioner Dianne Saxe will run for the provincial Green party in the next election , Canada 's National Observer has learned .
Saxe , an environmental lawyer , was often critical of the Ford government 's weakening of key green protections as commissioner .
She held the independent watchdog role from 2015 until 2019 , when the Progressive Conservatives eliminated her position .
In an interview with Canada 's National Observer on Friday , Saxe said moving from a non-partisan role to a political one is not a decision she made lightly .
“ I feel truly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ford government on our natural environment , on the institutions that protect it , ” she said .
“ I feel an obligation to do whatever I can.
” • Ford government to take powers away from conservation authorities • Opposition runs high against Quebec natural gas project rest of Canada hears little about Saxe will run in the Toronto riding of University-Rosedale , a seat currently held by Ontario NDP transit critic Jessica Bell .
The next provincial election is slated to happen in 2022 .
So far , no other party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Saxe 's candidacy will officially be announced Monday , according to a party source with first-hand knowledge but who was n't authorized to speak about the nomination .
“ ( Saxe ) is exactly the candidate Greens want on the team , ” the Ontario Green party said in a statement .
She 's not the first former Ontario environmental commissioner to run for office — Gord Miller , who held the role for 15 years before Saxe , ran for the federal Green party in 2015 and 2019 , but was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Saxe issued scathing reports about successive governments ' environmental priorities .
In 2017 , she said the former Liberal government 's failure to address pollution in Indigenous communities was “ outrageous.
” And the Progressive Conservatives were allowing “ an astonishing amount of pollution ” to flow into Ontario waterways , she found in 2018 .
In 2019 , the Ford government decided to merge the office of the environmental commissioner — which operated independently with five staffers — with the auditor general .
Saxe and her staff lost their jobs as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ environmental watchdog role from 2015 to 2019 .
She was often critical of the Ford government 's weakening of environmental policy until it eliminated her role .
Now , she 's running for the @ OntarioGreens .
# onpoli The province hired someone else to perform the role from the auditor general 's office : Jerry V. DeMarco , an experienced environmental policy expert .
But the changes also gutted the environmental commissioner 's power , transferring its responsibility to hold the government to account to the environment minister , essentially allowing the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it 's a bad sign when someone wants to silence the watchdog , ” Saxe said at the time .
“ What is it that they 're afraid of ?
What is it that they 're going to do that they do n't want the watchdog to see ?
” Since leaving government , Saxe has practised environmental law at her legal firm , Saxe Facts , and run a podcast called Green Economy Heroes .
The Ontario Greens currently hold one seat in the legislature — party leader Mike Schreiner is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she never wanted a political role , she feels a duty to try .
“ I think people my age really owe it to the young to stand up , ” she said , noting the climate crisis has accelerated in her lifetime .
“ This has happened on the watch of every baby boomer in Ontario , and it ’ s the young who are going to have to live with the consequences .
”

Former Ontario environmental commissioner Dianne Saxe will run for the provincial Green party in the next election, Canada's National Observer has learned. Saxe, an environmental lawyer, was often critical of the Ford government's weakening of key green protections as commissioner. She held the independent watchdog role from 2015 until 2019, when the Progressive Conservatives eliminated her position. In an interview with Canada's National Observer on Friday, Saxe said moving from a non-partisan role to a political one is not a decision she made lightly. “I feel truly horrified by the unrelenting attacks by the Ford government on our natural environment, on the institutions that protect it,” she said. “I feel an obligation to do whatever I can.”
Saxe will run in the Toronto riding of University-Rosedale, a seat currently held by Ontario NDP transit critic Jessica Bell. The next provincial election is slated to happen in 2022. So far, no other party has nominated a candidate for the riding. Saxe's candidacy will officially be announced Monday, according to a party source with first-hand knowledge but who wasn't authorized to speak about the nomination. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions “(Saxe) is exactly the candidate Greens want on the team,” the Ontario Green party said in a statement.
She's not the first former Ontario environmental commissioner to run for office — Gord Miller, who held the role for 15 years before Saxe, ran for the federal Green party in 2015 and 2019, but was not elected. Dianne Saxe held the non-partisan environmental watchdog role from 2015 to 2019. She was often critical of the Ford government's weakening of environmental policy until it eliminated her role. Now, she's running for the @OntarioGreens. #onpoli As environmental commissioner, Saxe issued scathing reports about successive governments' environmental priorities. In 2017, she said the former Liberal government's failure to address pollution in Indigenous communities was “outrageous.” And the Progressive Conservatives were allowing “an astonishing amount of pollution” to flow into Ontario waterways, she found in 2018. In 2019, the Ford government decided to merge the office of the environmental commissioner — which operated independently with five staffers — with the auditor general. Saxe and her staff lost their jobs as a result. The province hired someone else to perform the role from the auditor general's office: Jerry V. DeMarco, an experienced environmental policy expert. But the changes also gutted the environmental commissioner's power, transferring its responsibility to hold the government to account to the environment minister, essentially allowing the province to investigate itself. “Generally it's a bad sign when someone wants to silence the watchdog,” Saxe said at the time. “What is it that they're afraid of? What is it that they're going to do that they don't want the watchdog to see?”
Since leaving government, Saxe has practised environmental law at her legal firm, Saxe Facts, and run a podcast called Green Economy Heroes. The Ontario Greens currently hold one seat in the legislature — party leader Mike Schreiner is the MPP for Guelph. Saxe said although she never wanted a political role, she feels a duty to try. “I think people my age really owe it to the young to stand up,” she said, noting the climate crisis has accelerated in her lifetime.


nationalobserver--2020-11-13--Young activists win right to sue Ontario’s Ford government over climate policy

An Ontario court handed seven young climate activists a victory on Friday , with a ruling that their lawsuit against the Ford government can proceed to trial .
The decision , dated Nov. 12 , is the first of its kind in Canada and comes just weeks after a similar legal action against the federal government was rejected .
“ I look forward to seeing the premier in court , ” 24-year-old plaintiff Alex Neufeldt said in a statement .
“ My fellow applicants and I understand that our future is at stake and we ’ re not backing down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has canceled a string of green initiatives since coming to power last year , most noticeably cutting the cap and trade program that was raising $ 2 billion to help fund energy-efficient building retrofits and other efforts , and continues its own legal fight against the federal carbon pricing scheme .
It has also ended an electric and hydrogen vehicle incentive program , cut more than 700 green energy projects , proposed cuts to protections of species at-risk , removed electric vehicle chargers from GO station parking lots and slashed 50 per cent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conservation authorities .
A spokesperson for Ontario 's ministry of the attorney general said they are reviewing the decision and that it would be inappropriate to comment while the matter is in the appeal period .
In a landmark decision , an Ontario court has ruled a lawsuit seven young climate activists filed against the Ford government over climate policy can proceed to trial .

An Ontario court handed seven young climate activists a victory on Friday, with a ruling that their lawsuit against the Ford government can proceed to trial.
The decision, dated Nov. 12, is the first of its kind in Canada and comes just weeks after a similar legal action against the federal government was rejected.
“I look forward to seeing the premier in court,” 24-year-old plaintiff Alex Neufeldt said in a statement. “My fellow applicants and I understand that our future is at stake and we’re not backing down from this fight.”
The decision sets up a legal reckoning over whether governments must actively avoid conduct that can be expected to result in future harm, in this case the section 7 constitutional right to life, liberty and security of the person.
Ecojustice, an environmental group that backed the young people’s court challenge, said the decision means citizens can challenge a Canadian government’s action on the climate crisis under the highest law in the land, its constitution.
“For the first time in Canadian judicial history, government inaction on the climate crisis will be put on trial,” said Fraser Thomson, one of Ecojustice’s lawyers backing the case.


nationalobserver--2020-11-13--Doug Ford moving to permanently exempt logging industry from endangered species law

The Ontario government is attempting to make logging companies permanently exempt from endangered species law , a move environmental advocates say would hasten the decline of creatures like the woodland caribou .
A similar but temporary exemption has been in place in Ontario since 2013 .
The province has said making it permanent would help create jobs in the forestry sector .
“ It ’ s not unexpected , but it ’ s devastating nonetheless , ” said Greenpeace Canada nature and food campaigner Reykia Fick .
“ The province of Ontario is failing to protect species at risk and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s playing out here.
” The change was introduced as part of Bill 229 , a piece of legislation introduced Nov. 5 to enact measures the Progressive Conservative government outlined in its 2020 budget .
• Ford government to take powers away from conservation authorities • Opposition runs high against Quebec natural gas project rest of Canada hears little about Under the temporary exemption from Ontario ’ s Endangered Species Act , logging companies follow a different set of rules under the Crown Forest Sustainability Act .
In an emailed statement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spokesperson Maimoona Dinani said removing logging companies from the endangered species rules eliminates `` duplicative requirements '' while `` maintaining rigorous oversight and sustainable management of Ontario ’ s Crown forests . ''
`` The proposed changes do not decrease current protections for species at risk already in place under the Crown Forest Sustainability Act ( CFSA ) , '' Dinani said .
`` Ontario ’ s sustainable forest management framework will continue to provide for the consideration of species at risk – as it has done since the passing of the CFSA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t equivalent , advocates say : Endangered species protections are aimed at helping species at risk recover , while the forestry rules attempt to minimize the impact but don ’ t stop populations from shrinking .
“ Essentially what this means is slowing down extinction , but not reversing it , ” Fick said .
“ Fast or slow , it ’ s heading to the same point.
” In a statement , Ontario Green party Leader Mike Schreiner said the Ford government “ continues to clear-cut ” protections for endangered species .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ exempt logging companies from endangered species law .
“ Essentially what this means is slowing down extinction , but not reversing it , ” said Reykia Fick of Greenpeace Canada .
# onpoli “ These actions will push the woodland caribou closer to extinction and tarnish Ontario 's reputation for sustainable forestry , ” he said .
“ Instead of a rip and ship approach , Ontario should focus on sustainable forestry and value-added production.
” Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Natural Resources and Forestry Minister John Yakabuski at Queen 's Park in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to permanently exempt forestry companies from endangered species rules .
File photo by Alex Tétreault The number of species that are endangered in Ontario is increasing as the province fails to meet its national and international nature protection commitments , auditor general Bonnie Lysyk found last year .
Of the 88 types of known mammals found in the province , 16 are at risk , she noted .
One of them is the woodland caribou , which the province has found to be on the decline thanks to human activities like forestry and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ watered down the Endangered Species Act in 2019 .
One change gave environment ministers the power to delay protections for endangered species , while another made it possible for developers to pay fees for endangered species recovery instead of following the rules .
The province announced plans to make the logging industry ’ s exemption from the law permanent in December 2019 .
In its new forestry strategy , released that month , the government outlined plans to double wood production by 2030 to “ attract investments ” in Canada and internationally .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ represents forestry companies , has said the change would “ reduce red tape and administrative burden.
” “ Now the forest industry will be free to ignore the plight of woodland caribou and other species that are threatened with extinction or extirpation , ” said Tim Gray , the executive director of the non-profit Environmental Defence .
The forest planning process always `` begins with considerations of what we must protect , '' Dinani said , adding that the government 's plans aim to keep woodlands `` healthy , diverse , and productive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protecting species at risk and improving environmental outcomes by modernizing and improving the effectiveness of the Endangered Species Act , as committed to in our Made-in-Ontario Environment Plan , '' Dinani said .
`` The Endangered Species Act continues to apply to all other activities in Crown forests . ''
The new legislation is likely to pass , as the Progressive Conservatives hold a majority in the legislature .
In some cases , it ’ s not always clear what a species adds to our ecosystem until they ’ re gone , Fick @ @ @ @ @ @ @ living things sustains human life , and allowing species to go extinct could have unforeseen consequences .
“ This is an existential crisis for humans as well , ” she said .
“ Scientists are sounding the alarms .
”

The Ontario government is attempting to make logging companies permanently exempt from endangered species law, a move environmental advocates say would hasten the decline of creatures like the woodland caribou. A similar but temporary exemption has been in place in Ontario since 2013. The province has said making it permanent would help create jobs in the forestry sector. “It’s not unexpected, but it’s devastating nonetheless,” said Greenpeace Canada nature and food campaigner Reykia Fick. “The province of Ontario is failing to protect species at risk and to turn around the extinction crisis as it’s playing out here.” The change was introduced as part of Bill 229, a piece of legislation introduced Nov. 5 to enact measures the Progressive Conservative government outlined in its 2020 budget.
Under the temporary exemption from Ontario’s Endangered Species Act, logging companies follow a different set of rules under the Crown Forest Sustainability Act. In an emailed statement, Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry spokesperson Maimoona Dinani said removing logging companies from the endangered species rules eliminates "duplicative requirements" while "maintaining rigorous oversight and sustainable management of Ontario’s Crown forests." "The proposed changes do not decrease current protections for species at risk already in place under the Crown Forest Sustainability Act (CFSA)," Dinani said. "Ontario’s sustainable forest management framework will continue to provide for the consideration of species at risk – as it has done since the passing of the CFSA." Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions But the guidelines aren’t equivalent, advocates say: Endangered species protections are aimed at helping species at risk recover, while the forestry rules attempt to minimize the impact but don’t stop populations from shrinking.
“Essentially what this means is slowing down extinction, but not reversing it,” Fick said. The Doug Ford government wants to permanently exempt logging companies from endangered species law. “Essentially what this means is slowing down extinction, but not reversing it,” said Reykia Fick of Greenpeace Canada. #onpoli “Fast or slow, it’s heading to the same point.” In a statement, Ontario Green party Leader Mike Schreiner said the Ford government “continues to clear-cut” protections for endangered species. “These actions will push the woodland caribou closer to extinction and tarnish Ontario's reputation for sustainable forestry,” he said. “Instead of a rip and ship approach, Ontario should focus on sustainable forestry and value-added production.” Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Natural Resources and Forestry Minister John Yakabuski at Queen's Park in 2018. The Ford government is attempting to permanently exempt forestry companies from endangered species rules. File photo by Alex Tétreault
‘Scientists are sounding the alarms’ The number of species that are endangered in Ontario is increasing as the province fails to meet its national and international nature protection commitments, auditor general Bonnie Lysyk found last year. Of the 88 types of known mammals found in the province, 16 are at risk, she noted. One of them is the woodland caribou, which the province has found to be on the decline thanks to human activities like forestry and road building. The Ford government previously watered down the Endangered Species Act in 2019. One change gave environment ministers the power to delay protections for endangered species, while another made it possible for developers to pay fees for endangered species recovery instead of following the rules.


nationalobserver--2020-11-13--Ontario health system under strain from COVID-19; Quebec mulls school closures

New projections suggest Ontario 's surging COVID-19 caseload is likely to strain its health-care system to the point where surgeries will be cancelled , while Quebec 's premier is raising the possibility of school closures around the holidays and Alberta is tightening restrictions .
Those were three major developments Thursday as the situation with the stubborn pandemic darkened on several fronts across Canada .
`` Key indicators of the pandemic continue to worsen , '' said Dr. Adalsteinn Brown , co-chair of Ontario 's COVID-19 science advisory table .
The latest modelling suggests that a five per cent virus growth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ slightly optimistic '' scenario , would put Ontario on track for 6,500 new cases a day by mid-December .
Under a three per cent growth rate , it would be 2,500 cases daily .
Just two weeks ago , it had been predicted that new daily infections would hold steady between 800 and 1,200 for a while .
• Ford government to take powers away from conservation authorities • Opposition runs high against Quebec natural gas project rest of Canada hears little about Ontario reported a record-breaking 1,575 new infections Thursday , along @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that under any of the latest projected scenarios , intensive care occupancy would exceed the key threshold of 150 beds across the province .
`` It 's that point at which we need to start cancelling planned surgeries and we can no longer deliver the full slate of planned care right now , '' he said .
The Ontario Medical Association , which represents tens of thousands of physicians , urged the provincial government to lower thresholds that determine when restrictions should be tightened — by as much as 50 per cent in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Toronto Star reported that the provincial government ignored the advice of its own public health agency in designing the tiered and colour-coded alerts introduced last week .
Premier Doug Ford said Thursday the government 's plan had the blessing of the province 's top doctor and that the `` balanced '' approach takes mental health and the economy into account .
`` Key indicators of the pandemic continue to worsen , '' said Dr. Adalsteinn Brown , co-chair of Ontario 's COVID-19 science advisory table .
# Covid19 # Coronavirus # Pandemic # @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to say , 'Just shut everything down ' when they 're guaranteed a paycheque every single week , '' he said .
Quebec reported 1,365 new COVID-19 cases and 42 more deaths , including nine in 24 hours .
Premier Francois Legault said he was considering temporarily closing schools to reduce COVID-19 transmission .
Legault said 1,174 classrooms across the province are currently closed , but most alarming was that 324 of them had been shut in the last two days .
`` It remains the last solution , but currently , when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should not exclude any solution , '' he said in Quebec City .
New public health measures were to come into effect Friday in Alberta , where cases , hospitalizations and intensive care admissions continue to climb .
Alberta reported 860 new cases in Thursday 's update , along with 225 people in hospital and 51 in intensive care .
`` We are at a dangerous juncture in our province , '' said Premier Jason Kenney .
`` The growing number of hospitalizations , ICU admissions are challenging our ability to continue delivering @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
Kenney announced indoor group sports and fitness classes in major centres are to be stopped for two-weeks , along with amateur singing , dancing and theatre groups .
Bars , lounges and pubs must stop serving alcohol by 10 p.m. and close at 11 p.m. in certain hard-hit areas and the government is `` strongly recommending '' there be no social gatherings in homes .
Earlier Thursday , more than 430 doctors and three health unions urged short , sharp public health restrictions to curb Alberta 's soaring COVID-19 caseload , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bars , theatres and religious services .
Meanwhile , Manitoba entered the first day of widespread restrictions meant to stem steadily increasing COVID-19 cases .
That province has the biggest per-capita caseload of active infections in Canada and reported nine new deaths on Thursday , matching the record for fatalities set only a day earlier .
Gatherings are now limited to five people , in-person religious services are cancelled and non-essential stores and restaurants can only offer curbside pickup or delivery .
Bars , museums and theatres are closed and recreational activities are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ O'Leary , co-owner of the Sapphire Hair Lounge in Winnipeg , had hoped salons would be spared restrictions because of the expensive precautions already taken since the spring .
`` When the news of the shutdown came , it was definitely a punch in the stomach , '' she said .
Saskatchewan reported 111 new COVID-19 infections on Thursday , the sixth day in a row the province recorded more than 100 new cases .
The provincial government said new public health measures were to be announced Friday .
This report by The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 12 , 2020 .

New projections suggest Ontario's surging COVID-19 caseload is likely to strain its health-care system to the point where surgeries will be cancelled, while Quebec's premier is raising the possibility of school closures around the holidays and Alberta is tightening restrictions. Those were three major developments Thursday as the situation with the stubborn pandemic darkened on several fronts across Canada. "Key indicators of the pandemic continue to worsen," said Dr. Adalsteinn Brown, co-chair of Ontario's COVID-19 science advisory table. The latest modelling suggests that a five per cent virus growth rate, which Brown called a "slightly optimistic" scenario, would put Ontario on track for 6,500 new cases a day by mid-December. Under a three per cent growth rate, it would be 2,500 cases daily. Just two weeks ago, it had been predicted that new daily infections would hold steady between 800 and 1,200 for a while.
Ontario reported a record-breaking 1,575 new infections Thursday, along with 18 more deaths. Brown said that under any of the latest projected scenarios, intensive care occupancy would exceed the key threshold of 150 beds across the province. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions "It's that point at which we need to start cancelling planned surgeries and we can no longer deliver the full slate of planned care right now," he said.
The Ontario Medical Association, which represents tens of thousands of physicians, urged the provincial government to lower thresholds that determine when restrictions should be tightened — by as much as 50 per cent in some cases. "Key indicators of the pandemic continue to worsen," said Dr. Adalsteinn Brown, co-chair of Ontario's COVID-19 science advisory table. #Covid19 #Coronavirus #Pandemic #secondwave The plea followed a Toronto Star reported that the provincial government ignored the advice of its own public health agency in designing the tiered and colour-coded alerts introduced last week. Premier Doug Ford said Thursday the government's plan had the blessing of the province's top doctor and that the "balanced" approach takes mental health and the economy into account. "It's easy for people to say, 'Just shut everything down' when they're guaranteed a paycheque every single week," he said. Quebec reported 1,365 new COVID-19 cases and 42 more deaths, including nine in 24 hours.
Premier Francois Legault said he was considering temporarily closing schools to reduce COVID-19 transmission. Legault said 1,174 classrooms across the province are currently closed, but most alarming was that 324 of them had been shut in the last two days. "It remains the last solution, but currently, when one looks at the situation, we should not exclude any solution," he said in Quebec City.


nationalobserver--2020-11-13--Quebec faces $15-billion deficit for fiscal 2020-2021 due to pandemic spending

For the first time since 2014 , the Quebec government expects to run a budget deficit .
Pandemic-related spending has pushed the province ’ s deficit to $ 15 billion for this fiscal year , Finance Minister Eric Girard said Thursday , as he unveiled Quebec 's second economic update since the 2020-2021 budget was tabled in March .
At that point , Quebec was predicting a balanced budget and 2 per cent growth .
Instead , Girard 's update predicts $ 30 billion in deficit spending over three years to manage the effects of the pandemic .
He projected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and $ 7 billion the following year .
In June , Girard predicted Quebec would balance the books by 2025-2026 .
On Thursday , he described that projection as a `` hope . ''
Balancing the budget in five years will depend on several factors , he said , including more money from Ottawa for health care .
`` We ’ re in the midst of the second wave , '' Girard said .
`` There is a lot of uncertainty . ''
• Ford government to take powers away from conservation authorities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gas project rest of Canada hears little about He said he expects Quebec 's gross domestic product to decrease by 6 per cent in 2020-2021 , slightly less than the 6.5 per cent decline he predicted in June .
He projects 5 per cent GDP growth next year .
`` We think that 's pretty solid as a forecast . ''
Girard said the government plans to spend an extra $ 1.8 billion over the next three years on measures to stimulate the post-pandemic economy .
`` There 's no doubt that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' he said .
If that 's not enough , he said , the government is prepared to spend more .
`` It 's very important to recuperate the growth that was lost . ''
The Official Opposition said the government needs to be doing more to help businesses .
`` We 're not talking about helping companies survive , '' Liberal Leader Dominique Anglade told reporters .
`` The reality is that there are needs today . ''
Without more support , she said , businesses wo n't survive , putting the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which the Liberals described as overly optimistic -- into question .
`` You can say any big number you want , when you look at the detail , you realize there 's nothing , '' Anglade said .
The update says Quebec ’ s budget surplus in 2019-2020 was $ 32 million -- down from a $ 3-billion surplus projected in June .
For the first time since 2014 , the Quebec government expects to run a budget deficit .
# Quebecpoli # Covid19 # pandemic # deficit # cdnpoli Among the factors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re-evaluation of the government 's losses on the Bombardier C Series plane , now known as the Airbus A220 .
The government lost $ 434 million more than it believed it would , bringing its total losses on that deal to over $ 1 billion .
It also lost $ 378 million on investments in Ciment McInnis -- a cement plant in the Gaspe region that has ties to Bombardier 's owners .
The economic update was poorly received by Quebec 's second largest union federation .
By maintaining a focus on returning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and putting more than $ 2 billion into the debt-repayment fund , the government is preparing Quebec for `` years of austerity , '' Jacques Letourneau , the federation 's president , said in a statement .
The update was more positively received by the business community .
Michel Leblanc , president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal , described the update as `` very reassuring . ''
He said he thinks the province 's growth forecast is realistic and that the economy may grow even faster after the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
Francois Vincent , the vice-president for Quebec of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business , said he was pleased with the funding for retraining programs but he said he 'd like to have seen more support for small businesses .
The average small or medium-sized business in Quebec has debts of more than $ 130,000 as a result of COVID-19 , Vincent said .
The update indicates Quebec will lose about 223,000 jobs in 2020 and gain 154,000 the following year .
Quebec 's unemployment rate is expected to be about @ @ @ @ @ @

For the first time since 2014, the Quebec government expects to run a budget deficit. Pandemic-related spending has pushed the province’s deficit to $15 billion for this fiscal year, Finance Minister Eric Girard said Thursday, as he unveiled Quebec's second economic update since the 2020-2021 budget was tabled in March. At that point, Quebec was predicting a balanced budget and 2 per cent growth. Instead, Girard's update predicts $30 billion in deficit spending over three years to manage the effects of the pandemic. He projected a $8.3-billion deficit for fiscal 2021-2022 and $7 billion the following year. In June, Girard predicted Quebec would balance the books by 2025-2026. On Thursday, he described that projection as a "hope." Balancing the budget in five years will depend on several factors, he said, including more money from Ottawa for health care. "We’re in the midst of the second wave," Girard said. "There is a lot of uncertainty."
He said he expects Quebec's gross domestic product to decrease by 6 per cent in 2020-2021, slightly less than the 6.5 per cent decline he predicted in June. He projects 5 per cent GDP growth next year. "We think that's pretty solid as a forecast." Girard said the government plans to spend an extra $1.8 billion over the next three years on measures to stimulate the post-pandemic economy. "There's no doubt that the next six months will be difficult," he said. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions If that's not enough, he said, the government is prepared to spend more. "It's very important to recuperate the growth that was lost."
The Official Opposition said the government needs to be doing more to help businesses. "We're not talking about helping companies survive," Liberal Leader Dominique Anglade told reporters. "The reality is that there are needs today." For the first time since 2014, the Quebec government expects to run a budget deficit. #Quebecpoli #Covid19 #pandemic #deficit #cdnpoli Without more support, she said, businesses won't survive, putting the government's projections around economic growth -- which the Liberals described as overly optimistic -- into question. "You can say any big number you want, when you look at the detail, you realize there's nothing," Anglade said. The update says Quebec’s budget surplus in 2019-2020 was $32 million -- down from a $3-billion surplus projected in June. Among the factors that pushed the surplus down was a re-evaluation of the government's losses on the Bombardier C Series plane, now known as the Airbus A220. The government lost $434 million more than it believed it would, bringing its total losses on that deal to over $1 billion. It also lost $378 million on investments in Ciment McInnis -- a cement plant in the Gaspe region that has ties to Bombardier's owners.
The economic update was poorly received by Quebec's second largest union federation. By maintaining a focus on returning to a balanced budget within five years and putting more than $2 billion into the debt-repayment fund, the government is preparing Quebec for "years of austerity," Jacques Letourneau, the federation's president, said in a statement. The update was more positively received by the business community.


nationalobserver--2020-11-14--Black Canadians inspired by Harris to run for office, MPs say

The election of Kamala Harris as vice-president of the United States will inspire more young Black women in Canada to engage in politics and run for office , says Velma Morgan , a Black Canadian activist based in Toronto .
Harris 's father was born in Jamaica , her mother in India .
She is the first woman and the first Black or South Asian person elected to the vice-presidency .
Through Morgan 's work as the chair of Operation Black Vote , a not-for-profit , multi-partisan organization that aims to get more Black people elected at all levels of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her bid for the Green party leadership .
`` The combination of those two ( Harris and Paul ) , young girls are seeing themselves , '' Morgan said in an interview .
`` Representation does matter , '' she said .
`` You ca n't be what you do n't see . ''
• Ford government to take powers away from conservation authorities • Young activists win right to sue Ontario ’ s Ford government over climate policy NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh , who became the first person of colour in Canada @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during the 2019 election , said Harris 's election will encourage a future generation of Canadian women to get involved and run in elections .
`` Each person who breaks a barrier inspires more people , '' he said in an interview .
`` We 're only here today because of the people who broke barriers before us . ''
Singh said he was happy about — and proud of — the positive impact he had on young people of colour in Canada during the election campaign last year .
`` Young kids @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tell me , 'Thank you .
Seeing you running for prime minister makes me feel like I could do anything , ' '' he said .
Liberal MP Greg Fergus , who is chair of the parliamentary Black caucus , said there is a need to elect more Black people to the House of Commons .
The election of Kamala Harris as vice-president of the United States will inspire more young Black women in Canada to engage in politics and run for office , says Velma Morgan , a Black Canadian activist based @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remember when there was only one Black MP in the House .
And then we went to two , and then we stayed for a number of years , and then we went to five , '' he said .
Fergus said there has been some progress , but the number of Black MPs do not yet represent the `` democratic weight '' of the Black population in Canada .
According to the 2016 census , there were just under 1.2 million Black people in Canada , making up 3.5 per cent of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Canada needs more Black policy-makers .
Her organization facilitates training sessions and fellowships programs for young Black Canadians to encourage more of them to run in elections .
`` We 're giving them the tools to participate , whatever way they want to participate , whether it 's to run , or to volunteer or to just help out , '' she said .
`` We 've been trying to get the word out to say , 'You know what , we 're here , there 's not a lot of us , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a lot more people on . '
`` NDP MP Matthew Green , a Black person representing the riding of Hamilton Centre , remembers in 2008 when he gathered with his community to celebrate the election of Barack Obama as the first Black president of the United States .
But he said the goal should n't only be to achieve representation and reflect the diversity of the population .
It should also be to achieve inclusion and equity .
`` Having diverse people , women elected , for me personally , is only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ barriers that they faced to get there , '' he said .
He said people have traditionally been privileged in Canada by race , gender and economics .
`` ( The system is ) disproportionately , advantaging white men … that still remains a fact , '' he said .
`` As a city councillor , the first elected person of African-Canadian descent in my city 's history , I was still racially profiled by police in my own community . ''
He said Harris — a former district attorney in San Francisco @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was part of a system that also incarcerated and disenfranchised Black and Latino communities and low-income people throughout her career .
What really matters , he added , is whether she will be able to help marginalized people break barriers .
Former MP Celina Caesar-Chavannes , who left the Liberal caucus several months before the 2019 election to sit as an Independent , said that claiming `` diversity is our strength , '' as the Liberals often do , is misleading .
`` Having people of different colours and different races or ideas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mean that you 're going to build strength if those people feel excluded , '' Caesar-Chavannes said in an interview Friday .
She said collective strength comes when Canadians make spaces inclusive , so racialized people can voice their ideas and feel like they belong .
`` That for sure creates a system that is more fair and more just , '' she said .
Caesar-Chavannes , expected to detail her disillusionment with the Liberal brand of politics in her upcoming book , `` Can You Hear Me Now ? ''
to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not optimistic .
`` If we never address the root cause , and we keep putting Band-Aids on a situation , it 's not going to get better , '' she said .
Singh said it 's sometimes hard to understand that Canada has systems that are designed to exclude people .
`` We look at the way the criminal justice system works , we look at the way policing works , and realize that there are systems in place that have to be changed because , right now , they 're designed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Some of these systems have to be changed and some have to be dismantled , he said .
But he said he believes there 's enough appetite in Canada for a person of colour to be elected prime minister .
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14 , 2020 This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship .

The election of Kamala Harris as vice-president of the United States will inspire more young Black women in Canada to engage in politics and run for office, says Velma Morgan, a Black Canadian activist based in Toronto. Harris's father was born in Jamaica, her mother in India. She is the first woman and the first Black or South Asian person elected to the vice-presidency. Through Morgan's work as the chair of Operation Black Vote, a not-for-profit, multi-partisan organization that aims to get more Black people elected at all levels of government, she supported Annamie Paul in her bid for the Green party leadership. "The combination of those two (Harris and Paul), young girls are seeing themselves," Morgan said in an interview. "Representation does matter," she said. "You can't be what you don't see."
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, who became the first person of colour in Canada's history to run for prime minister during the 2019 election, said Harris's election will encourage a future generation of Canadian women to get involved and run in elections. "Each person who breaks a barrier inspires more people," he said in an interview. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions "We're only here today because of the people who broke barriers before us."
Singh said he was happy about — and proud of — the positive impact he had on young people of colour in Canada during the election campaign last year. The election of Kamala Harris as vice-president of the United States will inspire more young Black women in Canada to engage in politics and run for office, says Velma Morgan, a Black Canadian activist based in Toronto. #KamalaHarris "Young kids would come up to me and literally tell me, 'Thank you. Seeing you running for prime minister makes me feel like I could do anything,'" he said. Liberal MP Greg Fergus, who is chair of the parliamentary Black caucus, said there is a need to elect more Black people to the House of Commons. "I remember when there was only one Black MP in the House. And then we went to two, and then we stayed for a number of years, and then we went to five," he said. Fergus said there has been some progress, but the number of Black MPs do not yet represent the "democratic weight" of the Black population in Canada. According to the 2016 census, there were just under 1.2 million Black people in Canada, making up 3.5 per cent of the country's population.
Morgan said Canada needs more Black policy-makers. Her organization facilitates training sessions and fellowships programs for young Black Canadians to encourage more of them to run in elections. "We're giving them the tools to participate, whatever way they want to participate, whether it's to run, or to volunteer or to just help out," she said. "We've been trying to get the word out to say, 'You know what, we're here, there's not a lot of us, but we can change that by bringing a lot more people on.' " NDP MP Matthew Green, a Black person representing the riding of Hamilton Centre, remembers in 2008 when he gathered with his community to celebrate the election of Barack Obama as the first Black president of the United States.


nationalobserver--2020-11-14--Feds to give $1.5 billion for job training

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government will send $ 1.5 billion in job-training support to the provinces and territories to help Canadians in industries hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic .
The funding will help laid-off workers in sectors like construction , transportation and hospitality re-enter the workforce by bolstering access to skills training and employment services , Trudeau said Friday .
“ Now more than ever the labour market is evolving quickly and workers need to be able to develop new skills , '' Trudeau said .
The money comes at a critical time , with a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one-third of businesses do not know how long they can keep going under existing conditions brought by the second wave of COVID-19 .
Nearly 40 per cent of businesses have laid off staff since March and nearly one in five report they will be compelled to take drastic action in less than six months if cash flow does not improve .
• Ford government to take powers away from conservation authorities • Young activists win right to sue Ontario ’ s Ford government over climate policy Meanwhile the unemployment rate barely budged last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ compared with 9.0 per cent in September , to leave some 1.8 million people out of work .
Canadian Chamber of Commerce chief economist Trevin Stratton said the outlook for business owners is `` grim '' and called for sector-specific support to help the hospitality and arts-and-entertainment industries .
`` The one-size-fits-all approach to support programs is not sustainable through 2022 , and it may not be particularly useful at this stage of the pandemic , '' he said .
While the government has pledged to sit down with the airline industry to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ottawa has shied away from sector-specific support , instead preferring programs available across industries .
A revamped COVID-19 aid package now before the Senate as part of Bill C-9 would extend a federal wage subsidy until next summer , expand a popular business loan program and redo a program for commercial rent relief .
The rent subsidy , whose precursor was widely criticized for requiring an opt-in from landlords who tended to shy away from it , now cuts them out of the process .
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ support to the provinces and territories to help Canadians in industries hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic .
# Trudeau # COVID19 # cdnpoli However , the rejigged program includes a requirement that entrepreneurs pay their rent before applying , putting the subsidy out of reach for many cash-strapped stores .
Facing backlash from industry , Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland promised Thursday to pass followup legislation that would scrap that stipulation , and to instruct the Canada Revenue Agency to disregard it in the interim .
While the rent subsidy will be retroactive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy expired — Trudeau said he urges swift passage of the bill , with many business owners barely scraping by amid renewed local lockdown orders .
“ I told the premiers last night that anything they can do to encourage the senators that represent their jurisdiction to move forward quickly on passing Bill C-9 will be a big relief to business owners , '' Trudeau said Friday .
Meanwhile , the $ 1.5 billion for job training — $ 614 million of it for Ontario — will flow to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agreements via a delivery network of employment service centres .
Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough highlighted manufacturing , retail , transportation , tourism and recreation as long-suffering industries where workers need support .

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government will send $1.5 billion in job-training support to the provinces and territories to help Canadians in industries hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding will help laid-off workers in sectors like construction, transportation and hospitality re-enter the workforce by bolstering access to skills training and employment services, Trudeau said Friday. “Now more than ever the labour market is evolving quickly and workers need to be able to develop new skills," Trudeau said. The money comes at a critical time, with a new survey from Statistics Canada finding nearly one-third of businesses do not know how long they can keep going under existing conditions brought by the second wave of COVID-19. Nearly 40 per cent of businesses have laid off staff since March and nearly one in five report they will be compelled to take drastic action in less than six months if cash flow does not improve.
Meanwhile the unemployment rate barely budged last month, sitting at 8.9 per cent compared with 9.0 per cent in September, to leave some 1.8 million people out of work. Canadian Chamber of Commerce chief economist Trevin Stratton said the outlook for business owners is "grim" and called for sector-specific support to help the hospitality and arts-and-entertainment industries. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions "The one-size-fits-all approach to support programs is not sustainable through 2022, and it may not be particularly useful at this stage of the pandemic," he said.
While the government has pledged to sit down with the airline industry to start hammering out a bailout deal, Ottawa has shied away from sector-specific support, instead preferring programs available across industries. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government will send $1.5 billion in job-training support to the provinces and territories to help Canadians in industries hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. #Trudeau #COVID19 #cdnpoli A revamped COVID-19 aid package now before the Senate as part of Bill C-9 would extend a federal wage subsidy until next summer, expand a popular business loan program and redo a program for commercial rent relief. The rent subsidy, whose precursor was widely criticized for requiring an opt-in from landlords who tended to shy away from it, now cuts them out of the process. However, the rejigged program includes a requirement that entrepreneurs pay their rent before applying, putting the subsidy out of reach for many cash-strapped stores. Facing backlash from industry, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland promised Thursday to pass followup legislation that would scrap that stipulation, and to instruct the Canada Revenue Agency to disregard it in the interim.
While the rent subsidy will be retroactive to Sept. 27 — when the original Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy expired — Trudeau said he urges swift passage of the bill, with many business owners barely scraping by amid renewed local lockdown orders. “I told the premiers last night that anything they can do to encourage the senators that represent their jurisdiction to move forward quickly on passing Bill C-9 will be a big relief to business owners," Trudeau said Friday. Meanwhile, the $1.5 billion for job training — $614 million of it for Ontario — will flow to the provinces and territories under their workforce development agreements via a delivery network of employment service centres.


nationalobserver--2020-11-16--Former environmental watchdog Dianne Saxe appointed deputy leader of Ontario Greens

Former Ontario environmental commissioner Dianne Saxe has been appointed deputy leader of the provincial Green party .
Saxe held the non-partisan watchdog role from 2015 to 2019 , and was frequently critical of the Ford government 's environmental policies until the Progressive Conservatives eliminated her position .
On Friday , Canada 's National Observer reported that she will run for the Ontario Greens in the downtown Toronto riding of University-Rosedale in the next provincial election .
“ When it comes to solving the biggest environmental challenges we face , there is no one more competent than ( Saxe ) , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a press release Monday .
“ Her decision to run as a Green reflects how effective our party has been since securing our first seat at Queen ’ s Park.
” Schreiner , who was elected as the MPP for Guelph in 2018 , is currently the only Green with a seat in the Ontario legislature .
Saxe is the first Green candidate to be announced for the next election , scheduled for 2022 , but the party said Monday that it intends to run a full slate of candidates .
• Young @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s Ford government over climate policy • How one Indigenous farmer in the north is improving food security in his community “ Now is the time for more Green voices at Queen ’ s Park .
Doug Ford ’ s tenure has been marked by a relentless attack on Ontario ’ s environment , ” Saxe said in the press release .
“ He replaced climate action with greenwashing and consistently puts profit before people and planet .
I preferred to be non-partisan , but I can not stand aside any longer.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for University-Rosedale yet — Saxe is running for the nomination uncontested , with a vote to be held Nov. 30 — but the riding is currently held by Jessica Bell , the NDP transit critic .
The Greens picked up 5.4 per cent of the vote in University-Rosedale in the 2018 election .
As environmental commissioner , Saxe wrote 17 reports analyzing successive Liberal and Progressive Conservative governments ' policies on energy , climate and the environment .
Her last report , published in late 2018 , found that the Ford government was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” into Ontario water systems .
“ It is unbelievable that in 2018 , the government allows this much filth into our lakes and rivers , ” she said at the time .
The Ford government passed legislation weeks later that reduced the environmental commissioner 's powers and merged the office with that of the auditor general , doing away with the jobs of Saxe and five staffers .
( Jerry V. DeMarco , an experienced environmental policy expert , performs the environmental commissioner role in the auditor general 's office . )
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ OntarioGreens .
Dianne Saxe was Ontario 's environmental commissioner from 2015 until 2019 , when the Ford government eliminated her position .
# onpoli Saxe currently practises environmental law at her firm , Saxe Facts , and hosts a podcast called Green Economy Heroes .
She 's also the chair of Toronto city council ’ s climate advisory committee .
The Greens now have two co-deputy leaders .
Abhijeet Manay , who sits on the board of Mississauga non-profit iREAM and ran for the party in 2018 , was elected deputy leader @ @ @ @ @ @

Former Ontario environmental commissioner Dianne Saxe has been appointed deputy leader of the provincial Green party.
Saxe held the non-partisan watchdog role from 2015 to 2019, and was frequently critical of the Ford government's environmental policies until the Progressive Conservatives eliminated her position. On Friday, Canada's National Observer reported that she will run for the Ontario Greens in the downtown Toronto riding of University-Rosedale in the next provincial election.
“When it comes to solving the biggest environmental challenges we face, there is no one more competent than (Saxe),” said party leader Mike Schreiner in a press release Monday.
“Her decision to run as a Green reflects how effective our party has been since securing our first seat at Queen’s Park.”
Schreiner, who was elected as the MPP for Guelph in 2018, is currently the only Green with a seat in the Ontario legislature. Saxe is the first Green candidate to be announced for the next election, scheduled for 2022, but the party said Monday that it intends to run a full slate of candidates.


nationalobserver--2020-11-16--Quebec First Nation calls for equal health-care access following Joyce Echaquan's death

MONTREAL — Sipi Flamand says it ’ s long overdue that Quebec guarantees equal access to health care for Indigenous Peoples in the province .
Flamand , vice-chief of Manawan , an Atikamekw community about 250 kilometres north of Montreal , helped craft a list of recommendations submitted Monday to the Quebec and Canadian governments on how to tackle systemic racism in health and social services .
The call to action , known as Joyce ’ s Principle , aims to ensure that Indigenous people have equal access to `` the highest standard '' of government-run health services .
First @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in hospitals and other institutions .
`` We ’ re reaching out to all the authorities , institutions and organizations to change their mentality toward Indigenous people , '' Flamand said in an interview Sunday .
`` I think that will benefit everyone . ''
Joyce ’ s Principle is named after Joyce Echaquan , a 37-year-old Atikamekw woman who died in hospital in September in Joliette , Que.
, after she filmed staff making derogatory comments against her .
The video was shared around the world .
• Young activists win right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over climate policy • How one Indigenous farmer in the north is improving food security in his community The many recommendations in Joyce ’ s Principle include that the federal government revise its financing model for health and social services in collaboration with Indigenous groups .
It also recommends the Quebec government set up an ombudsperson ’ s office for Indigenous health and finance awareness campaigns to educate the public about Indigenous issues .
The Atikamekw of Manawan Council and the Council of the Atikamekw Nation are calling on schools , professional orders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ offer training programs in line with Joyce ’ s Principle .
Echaquan ’ s death and the mistreatment she received in hospital shook Quebec , where an inquiry last year concluded systemic discrimination existed in public services , including health care .
Quebec has been under pressure to recognize the existence of systemic racism against Indigenous people in the province .
In a written message in the opening pages of Joyce ’ s Principle , Echaquan ’ s husband , Carol Dube , urged Ottawa and Quebec City to adopt the recommendations .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ terrible tragedy for my children and me , '' Dube wrote .
`` I hope the governments of Quebec and Canada will adopt Joyce ’ s Principle so that this terrible event did not happen in vain , that her voice signals the start of real changes for all Indigenous people so that no one ever again falls victim to systemic racism . ''
On Nov. 6 , Quebec announced $ 15 million to pay for liaison officers and other workers to accompany Indigenous people through the health-care system .
Quebec ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said in a statement at the time that the government was `` committed to change things and begin a new chapter in our relationship with First Nations and Inuit . ''
The call to action , known as Joyce ’ s Principle , aims to ensure that Indigenous people have equal access to `` the highest standard '' of government-run health services .
The Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador welcomed the government ’ s investment , but also urged it to adopt Joyce ’ s Principle .
Nakuset , executive director of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , welcomed Joyce ’ s Principle on Monday and said she hoped governments would provide the resources to implement it .
`` Right now if I have to send someone to the hospital ... they don ’ t feel safe going , '' she said in an interview .
Asked about Joyce ’ s Principle during a news conference on Monday , Quebec Premier Francois Legault said a government committee that includes Lafreniere would table recommendations for how to tackle racism in the province in the coming weeks .
The federal government did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comment .
Flamand said he hopes both governments will adopt Joyce ’ s Principle to ensure Indigenous rights are respected and to prevent similar tragedies such as Echaquan ’ s death from happening again .
“ We often talk about reconciliation and Joyce ’ s Principle is also a way to ( address that ) , '' he said , `` but never forgetting Joyce ’ s story and that of her family , still waiting for justice . ''

MONTREAL — Sipi Flamand says it’s long overdue that Quebec guarantees equal access to health care for Indigenous Peoples in the province. Flamand, vice-chief of Manawan, an Atikamekw community about 250 kilometres north of Montreal, helped craft a list of recommendations submitted Monday to the Quebec and Canadian governments on how to tackle systemic racism in health and social services. The call to action, known as Joyce’s Principle, aims to ensure that Indigenous people have equal access to "the highest standard" of government-run health services. First Nations have for years complained about discrimination in hospitals and other institutions. "We’re reaching out to all the authorities, institutions and organizations to change their mentality toward Indigenous people," Flamand said in an interview Sunday. "I think that will benefit everyone." Joyce’s Principle is named after Joyce Echaquan, a 37-year-old Atikamekw woman who died in hospital in September in Joliette, Que., after she filmed staff making derogatory comments against her. The video was shared around the world.
The many recommendations in Joyce’s Principle include that the federal government revise its financing model for health and social services in collaboration with Indigenous groups. It also recommends the Quebec government set up an ombudsperson’s office for Indigenous health and finance awareness campaigns to educate the public about Indigenous issues. The Atikamekw of Manawan Council and the Council of the Atikamekw Nation are calling on schools, professional orders and health and social services agencies to offer training programs in line with Joyce’s Principle. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Echaquan’s death and the mistreatment she received in hospital shook Quebec, where an inquiry last year concluded systemic discrimination existed in public services, including health care. Quebec has been under pressure to recognize the existence of systemic racism against Indigenous people in the province.
In a written message in the opening pages of Joyce’s Principle, Echaquan’s husband, Carol Dube, urged Ottawa and Quebec City to adopt the recommendations. "Joyce’s death was a terrible tragedy for my children and me," Dube wrote. The call to action, known as Joyce’s Principle, aims to ensure that Indigenous people have equal access to "the highest standard" of government-run health services. "I hope the governments of Quebec and Canada will adopt Joyce’s Principle so that this terrible event did not happen in vain, that her voice signals the start of real changes for all Indigenous people so that no one ever again falls victim to systemic racism." On Nov. 6, Quebec announced $15 million to pay for liaison officers and other workers to accompany Indigenous people through the health-care system. Quebec’s Indigenous affairs minister, Ian Lafreniere, said in a statement at the time that the government was "committed to change things and begin a new chapter in our relationship with First Nations and Inuit." The Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador welcomed the government’s investment, but also urged it to adopt Joyce’s Principle. Nakuset, executive director of the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal, welcomed Joyce’s Principle on Monday and said she hoped governments would provide the resources to implement it. "Right now if I have to send someone to the hospital ... they don’t feel safe going," she said in an interview.
Asked about Joyce’s Principle during a news conference on Monday, Quebec Premier Francois Legault said a government committee that includes Lafreniere would table recommendations for how to tackle racism in the province in the coming weeks. The federal government did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Flamand said he hopes both governments will adopt Joyce’s Principle to ensure Indigenous rights are respected and to prevent similar tragedies such as Echaquan’s death from happening again.