Sault NDP candidate Marie Morin-Strom and supporters gathered in rainy weather to hold a ‘Rally for the Climate’ at the corner of Great Northern Road and McNabb Street late Friday afternoon.
“Justin Trudeau has given over $18 billion in subsidies to oil and gas companies in the last year and we want to stop subsidies…we’re hoping to get our word out about clean air and clean water and protecting the environment for Canadians, for our future,” Morin-Strom said, speaking to SooToday.
The NDP candidate planned to do some door-to-door canvassing after the rally.
“We would like to stop the oil and gas subsidies. We would like to invest in green energy, increase investments in zero emissions vehicles, in low emission transportation and get down to net zero carbon emissions by 2030 and try to hold climate change to one-and-a-half degrees if at all possible.”
Morin-Strom also rallied the party’s local troops by calling for the establishment of programs such as national pharmacare and dental care.
Morin-Strom told SooToday she hopes NDP leader Jagmeet Singh will visit the Sault during the election campaign.
The NDP’s environmental platform calls for:
- Taking on big polluters
- Legislating big oil companies to pay to clean up inactive wells
- Retrofit all buildings in Canada by 2050 and require all new buildings to be net zero
- Modernize and expand public transit
- Promote active transportation such as walking and bicycling
- An immediate ban on all single use plastics
- Establish the right to a healthy environment in a Canadian Environmental Bill of Rights
- Cut emissions by more than half and meet the 1.5 degree target
- Use carbon pricing as a tool in its campaign against climate change
- Eliminate fossil fuel subsidies
- Power Canada with net zero electricity by 2030
