make 2016 the year Canada starts doing its part to stop catastrophic climate change - before it’s too late.1

Prime Minister Trudeau is about to meet with provincial leaders in Vancouver during the first week of March. Their task: make 2016 the year Canada starts doing its part to stop catastrophic climate change - before it’s too late.¹

But there’s a problem: the oil industry has gone from boom to bust again, and families across the Prairies and Maritimes are hurting.² Oil executives and some provincial leaders are now saying the way out of this hole is to make expensive delays to real climate action and build the Energy East and Kinder Morgan pipelines.³

We can do so much better. We don’t need to double-down on the same risky industry that creates  economic crises and wrecks our climate.We can move Canada forward and create a clean energy economy that’s built to last. 

This is the moment for our governments to make major investments to kickstart the renewable energy revolution we need to stabilize our climate and economy. Former oil workers can lead the way in a plan to create new jobs for our communities - especially the communities that have been hit the hardest by low oil prices. 

Prime Minister Trudeau’s meeting with provincial leaders in Vancouver is our chance to make this revolution a reality.

Click here to call on Prime Minister Trudeau and our Premiers to deliver a Green New Deal to stabilize our climate and power our economy - starting with an immediate climate stimulus to put people to work building renewable energy. If 10,000 people sign we’ll deliver this petition to their meeting in Vancouver in the first week of March. 

The original “New Deal” put millions of people to work during the Great Depression and laid the foundation for unprecedented growth of the middle class.⁴

We need that kind of leadership today. The climate crisis is here now, and it will get much much worse if we continue to extract oil as if our children won't have to pay the consequences.⁵

Last year, PM Trudeau met with world leaders in Paris and agreed Canada must do its part to keep temperatures from rising past 2°C.⁶ To keep this promise, we must transition to near 100% renewable energy by 2050.⁷

The good news is that the renewable energy boom is already here.⁸ Renewables are growing faster than anyone predicted and already create more jobs than the oil sector.⁹ 

This is not a faraway dream. We have the knowledge, the technology and the strength.¹⁰ We just need to act today, and solve two problems at once. 

A Green New Deal can start to slow down the climate crisis, boost our economy and create rewarding jobs for Canadians across the country. But oil industry lobbyists and some provincial leaders will try to force Prime Minister Trudeau to bail out big oil and build pipelines.

Let’s show our leaders Canada is ready for a Green New Deal to start building 100% renewable energy and get people back to work.Sign the petition today and if 10,000 people sign before March 3rd we’ll deliver it at the meeting in Vancouver. 

The climate movement has completely changed the energy conversation in a few short years. Not too long ago, our government tried to make Canada an "energy superpower" by placing all our eggs into the oil sands basket. 

We were told we had to choose between the health of our communities and the health of our economy.

Now, most federal and provincial leaders recognize we don't have to make that decision. They know that protecting our climate and our communities goes hand in hand with boosting our economy.

Now let's support them and make sure oil executives don't derail our clean energy revolution. This is our chance for Canada to become an energy superpower - a renewable energy superpower.

http://www.leadnow.ca/green-new-deal

Thanks for all you do.

With hope and respect,
Rodrigo and Jamie on behalf of the Leadnow.ca community

Sources:

1. National climate plan will take time, federal and provincial ministers say http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/environment-first-ministers-climate-plan-1.3441886 
2. Oil price pain seeps into other sectors of Alberta economy http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-economy-other-sectors-pain-1.3446838 
3. Trans Mountain says pipeline will boost economy http://globalnews.ca/news/2178054/trans-mountain-says-pipeline-will-boost-economy-2/ 
4. New Deal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Deal 
5. Global Warming's Terrifying New Math http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/global-warmings-terrifying-new-math-20120719 
6. Paris climate agreement latest sign of trouble for Canada’s oil patch. How will the industry adjust?http://www.thestar.com/business/2015/12/21/paris-climate-agreement-latest-sign-of-trouble-for-canadas-oil-patch-how-will-the-industry-adjust.html 
7. CANADA’S CONTRIBUTION TO MEETING THE TEMPERATURE LIMITS IN THE PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENThttp://blogs.ubc.ca/sdonner/files/2016/02/Donner-and-Zickfeld-Canada-and-the-Paris-Climate-Agreement.pdf 
8. As Oil Crashed, Renewables Attract Record $329 Billion http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-14/renewables-drew-record-329-billion-in-year-oil-prices-crashed
9. Clean energy provides more jobs than oilsands, report says http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/clean-energy-provides-more-jobs-than-oilsands-report-says-1.2857520 
10. Report finds climate solutions exist in Canada http://www.davidsuzuki.org/media/news/2014/12/report-finds-climate-solutions-exist-in-canada/