Green Party of Canada Condemns Climate Inaction as Wildfires Ravage Alberta and British-Columbia
OTTAWA – The Green Party of Canada stands in solidarity with the citizens, businesses, and front-line workers impacted by the devastating wildfires currently ravaging Western Canada. Our hearts go out to the residents and visitors of Jasper, Alberta, who have been forced to evacuate, and to those who have lost their homes. We commend the tireless efforts of the firefighters and emergency personnel who are battling these blazes under incredibly challenging conditions.
25,000 residents and visitors of Jasper were ordered to evacuate the city on Monday night due to advancing forest fires. Currently, a large number of wildfires are raging in the region, many of them out of control. Among these, 433 wildfires are burning uncontrollably in British Columbia, with an additional 176 in Alberta.
“As the wildfires reached Jasper, my husband was in Ashcroft,B.C. under evacuation alert, setting sprinklers on roofs to protect what was his late mother’s home. Toronto’s recent disastrous flooding is another indicator of the daily threats of the climate emergency. Canada is on fire, and people across the country are experiencing climate impacts first-hand,” said Leader Elizabeth May. “How can the governing party say we’re in a climate emergency, and at the same time continue to subsidize the fossil fuel industry and approve new oil and gas projects? The irony that the Jasper fire threatens the climate-killing TMX pipeline should be a wake-up call. We don’t need more empty promises. We need urgent climate action that meets the scale of the challenges we’re facing.”
The Green Party of Canada calls on the federal government to acknowledge the severity of the climate crisis and take immediate, concrete actions to address it. This includes ending fossil fuel subsidies, halting the approval of new oil and gas projects, and investing significantly in renewable energy and climate resilience measures.
“Our thoughts are with the residents of Jasper and all those affected by these devastating wildfires,” added Elizabeth May. “The time for half-measures and empty promises is over. We must act now to safeguard our future and protect our planet.”
#####
For more information or to arrange an interview :
Fabrice Lachance Nové
Press secretary
514-463-0021