Regina chapter activist Jim Elliott. Photo by Don Andrew Grasdal.
The Council of Canadians Regina chapter marched to the Saskatchewan Legislature yesterday to demand provincial action to address climate change.
The outreach had noted, “We are pleased to announce that Regina will participate in the international People’s Climate Marches on Saturday April 29th at 12:00 pm at the Saskatchewan Legislative Building! We will gather to celebrate our interdependent relationship to each other, and our dependent relationship to the Earth. We will march to: 1) Demonstrate support for Saskatchewan showing leadership in addressing the climate crisis. 2) Ask Saskatchewan to do it’s part by signing the Pan-Canadian Framework on Climate Change and committing to emissions targets that will enable Canada to meet its Paris Climate Commitment.”
Afterwards, CBC reported, “Regina residents held their own climate march in front of the province’s legislative assembly Saturday, joining in spirit with thousands of other marchers across Canada and the world. The Regina contingent was there to demonstrate its desire for the Saskatchewan government to take a leading role in addressing climate change.”
DeSmog Canada has highlighted, “Saskatchewan sports the highest per-capita emissions of any province: at last count, the province accounts for 10.3 per cent of the country’s emissions despite only boasting three per cent of its people. Between 1990 and 2013, its total emissions increased by 66 per cent, compared to Alberta (the second highest in the category) which increased by 53 per cent. The oil, gas and mining sector accounts for 34 per cent of the province’s emissions, with the electricity sector chipping in an additional 21 per cent (close to half of the province’s power is generated by burning coal).”
Premier Brad Wall has opposed calls for provincial and national climate change action, promoted “clean coal” and carbon capture and storage at the COP21 climate summit in Paris, refuses to phase-out coal-fired power plants, and opposes the national carbon tax (without proposing other climate action strategies). In his government’s May 2016 Throne Speech, he appeared to both deny climate change and attack the Leap Manifesto.
#ClimateMarch2017
