Friends,
Over the last two weeks I called through the Burnaby North-Seymour NDP current membership list and sent an email message to the lapsed members. I left a voice message for many of you about me contesting the nomination, my updated website michaelcharrois.ca, and an invitation to call me to have a conversation about the NDP and your priorities for the upcoming election.
I had some fabulous conversations about the values we share as New Democrats and the things that are most important to you for the upcoming federal election. Top of mind for many of you was the demented threat of Trump tariffs. We agreed that bullies need to be confronted and that a dollar for dollar, targeted response is appropriate. We also appreciated that leaders across the political spectrum have come together to defend our sovereignty and celebrate the things that make Canada a great Nation.
I also heard a lot about the priorities that will be front and centre for the upcoming election campaign; housing, health care and cost of living/ affordability issues. As a community garden volunteer, I appreciated the conversations I had about food security, poverty and growing food, which I always say is just like printing your own money. I also appreciate the gentle reminder about the systemic privileges I enjoy as an old white man. I realize that I do not carry the face of diversity, but as a professional, Canadian artist, who has thus taken the Vow of Perpetual Poverty, I hope that I can bring a perspective to the House of Commons that is missing from a room full of lawyers and business people.
For many of you a local issue of extreme importance is the Environment and Climate Change. I share your concern. When you told me you were concerned about climate change and the environment, I shared the advocacy work our NDP Environment critic, Laurel Collins, has been pursuing. I share that advocacy list here:
“While I can’t share the entirety of what will be in the NDP platform as that is still confidential, I can share what the NDP has advocated for in this last parliamentary session and commitments that will likely be in the platform.
An excess profits tax on oil and gas companies making record profits (the Parliamentary Budget Officer has estimated that this would bring in $4.2 billion over four years at a 15% tax rate) . Expert economists have tied extreme wealth from corporate giants as a key driver to the cost-of-living crisis. The Conservative government in the UK implemented an excess profits tax on oil and gas companies in 2021 to address this inequality and found that it decreased cost-of-living. In 2023, top Canadian oil companies made a combined $70 billion
Ending all fossil fuel subsidies and public financing, and reinvesting that money in climate solutions (currently, Environmental Defence has identified that the Liberal government spent $18.55 billion on subsidies to oil and gas companies). This money could be spent in massively expanding renewable energy capacity, expanding and connecting electricity grids, nature protection, establishing a youth climate corps, and so much more
Ban the export of thermal coal (Please note- Thermal coal is mined in red states Montana and Wyoming and banning their export would hit back at Trump’s Tariffs- M Charrois).
Establish a youth climate corps to provide jobs for young people across Canada to gain meaningful experience for jobs of the future and to climate-proof and improve our infrastructure and oversee stewardship of our ecosystem.
Ensure accurate reporting and transparency from the forestry sector for their greenhouse gas emissions.
Regulate the use of per and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS), a widely used and under regulated toxic chemical threatening the health of Canadians and our ecosystems .
Establish an Office of Environmental Justice, which could oversee this strategy, provide badly needed data, and evaluate government policy to ensure we are addressing the needs of Black, Indigenous, and racialized communities effectively.
Enshrine an Environmental Bill of Rights that would hold the government accountable to present and future generation.
Expand on the Sustainable Jobs Act to create create good green unionized jobs that leaves no one behind.
Fix the problems with the Canada Greener Home Grant and make it easier for people to retrofit their homes for energy efficiency, decreasing energy demand on our grids and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, while making it easier to pay your home heating and electricity bills.
End greenwashing and misleading fossil fuel advertisement.
Increase funding to public and active transportation and electrify bus fleets (not just in our cities but connecting cities as well.
Implement a stronger emissions cap on oil and gas.
Strengthen clean electricity standards.
Protect 30% of nature and waterways by 2030 and 50% by 2050.
Implement a nature accountability bill that would ensure that the federal government must consider impacts on nature and biodiversity in any legislation or regulation.
Guarantee UNDRIP and ensure that nature-based efforts are done in partnership with Indigenous Nations across Canada and ensure that we are listening to the true land guardians that have lived on these territories since time immemorial.
We also forced the top 5 oil and gas CEOs to testify at the Environment Committee in June last year. We are the only party to hold big corporations accountable.”
James Lewis is a member of North Vancouver- Capilano, and he will be transferring into Burnaby North- Seymour with the upcoming boundary change. James has crafted the following resolution regarding banning the export of thermal coal from Canadian ports. This resolution will be sent to BC Council of Federal Ridings (BCCFR) and Federal Council:
RESOLUTION
BECAUSE climate change impacts all Canadians’ health and safety, and mental health, particularly vulnerable Canadians.
BECAUSE New Democrats take fighting climate change seriously and want to reduce CO2 emissions while providing as many good jobs as possible.
BECAUSE coal is the dirtiest fossil fuel, emitting over twice its weight in CO2 when burned.
BECAUSE large corporations extracting and transporting fossil fuel such as coal, continue to be responsible for increasing CO2 emissions.
BECAUSE we have a limited time to fight climate change.
BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Leader and caucus of Canada’s NDP will demand the Government of Canada ban all thermal coal exports, after consultation with trade unions whose members are likely to be
affected by the prohibition of the export of thermal coal.
Submitted by North Vancouver-Capilano Federal EDA.
I, along with fellow Burnaby North- Seymour members, James Lewis and Kristina Vandervoort (North Vancouver- Seymour BC NDP Provincial Councillor), will be at the BC Council of Federal Ridings meeting, Saturday April 8th, which is scheduled after the upcoming Provincial Council meeting, to speak on this resolution. Also, we will present this motion for the BCCFR to forward the resolution to all BC federal EDAs to pass at their next executive meetings as well as inform their federal candidates of this resolution.
I am happy to support James and Kristina as we take action to do what we can to mitigate climate change and fight back against Trump’s Tariffs. Please let us know if you have contacts in other NDP federal Electoral District Associations (EDAs) so we can encourage them to support this resolution as well.
In Solidarity- Michael Charrois – Member Burnaby North-Seymour, 778-866-5160
michaelcharrois.ca 