For Immediate Release
19 May, 2022
After being defeated by Liberal and PC MHAs, the NL NDP Leader and MHA for St. John’s Centre, Jim Dinn, is concerned the province’s refusal to adopt just transition planning is short sighted and risks the province continuing to throw good money after bad. Given the difficulty in getting approval of the Bay Du Nord project from the Federal Government, the NL NDP cannot understand how cabinet, including the Minister for Climate Change refused to discuss the inevitable wind down of the province’s oil and gas industry.
“What we asked for was simple, acknowledge climate change, listen to science, and start planning now so that when the inevitable happens workers and communities reliant on the oil and gas industry have opportunities waiting for them. We can’t turn the taps off tomorrow, but we know this is coming,” said Dinn. “What we cannot understand is how we can have a Premier who acknowledges the need for a transition, and a Minister for Climate Change who when given the opportunity to plan for our future, voted against a just transition that would protect workers and their communities.”
The private members resolution introduced in the House of Assembly received support from the three NL NDP MHAs, and the Member for Lake Melville. Though other members, including PC MHAs, used the opportunity in debate to talk about impacts of climate change currently affecting the province like coastal erosion, road washouts, market volatility, coastal homes at risk of being swept away to sea, they refused to support proactive planning to determine the province’s future in a post-fossil fuel economy.
“As the European Union announced hundreds of billions of dollars to develop alternative energy sources, committed to reducing fossil fuel consumption by up to 90% by 2050, our province refuses to have the discussion,” said Dinn. “Quite frankly this ignorance to talk about reality is an insult to the people of this province, and future generations who are set to inherit the province and economy we leave for them.”
To read the Private Members Resolution, click here https://www.nl.ndp.ca/pmr
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NDP Caucus Office, Confederation Building, St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6 ˑ 709-729-0270 ˑ