The tide is rising for a just transition

The Council of Canadians is demanding just transition legislation in the first 100 days of Parliament. Sign up here to join.

We’ve been campaigning for the Liberal government to keep its promise of legislating a Just Transition Act – something it pledged almost three years ago.

A just transition is a process of supporting fossil fuel workers, other affected workers, and communities across the country while we decarbonize the economy and wind down the fossil fuel sector. It’s also essential that a just transition improves the wages and working conditions of those already doing low-carbon work.

This process should be guided by affected workers and their communities, particularly Indigenous peoples in those communities, as well as the larger Indigenous community as a whole. It must be supported by federal legislation that requires and funds society-wide action to decarbonize our economy and ensure that no one is left behind in the process.

What’s happened so far

We’re more than halfway through the first 100 days of the new Parliament. So far, the only movement for a just transition has come from people like you pushing your MPs to speak up – and it’s working. 

More than 150 people in over 40 communities are collecting signatures to get their local MP to table our just transition petition in Parliament. So far, 28 MPs from across the political spectrum have agreed to table the petition and 10 of them have already done so (check below to see if your MP is on the list).

More than 6,300 people have written to the Prime Minister, cabinet ministers, and their MPs to demand just transition legislation. Together we can amplify this organizing, by demanding our MPs treat the climate crisis as the emergency it is.

The government recently responded in writing to the just transition petition. But unfortunately, despite this rising tide of support for just transition flooding Parliament, the response omitted any mention of the Just Transition Act that the Trudeau government promised. Instead, it offered a patchwork of policies that are no match for the scale of the crisis we’re facing.

It’s clear that we must keep organizing to win the just transition our communities need so badly. You can read our assessment of the government’s response here.

What’s next and what you can do

There’s no more time for delays. We know that in order for the federal government to act, they need to know you expect them to. You’ve been flooding Parliament with support for a just transition, and we need to keep building on that momentum. 

The government’s continued refusal to commit to a timeline for when it will introduce just transition legislation means we need to ramp things up. Here’s how:

Flood MPs phone lines for a just transition

A number of MPs have been approached by their constituent communities to table the just transition petition but haven’t responded yet. As we step up our campaign, we want to put extra pressure on those MPs to respond to our demands: public investment in broad, transformative legislation that prioritizes the wellbeing of people by including them in the planning and implementation of that change.

Join us on February 17th to phone Council of Canadians members in these key ridings, asking them to voice their support for a just transition.

Join the Day of Action for a Just Transition

We’re teaming up with our friends at 350 Canada for a just transition Day of Action on March 12. 

From coast-to-coast, we’ll demand that politicians across the political spectrum act with courage to deliver an urgent just transition plan that leaves no one behind and moves us past fossil fuels.

We’ll also be making dozens of announcements about “new” projects funded by the “Ministry of Just Transition.” Of course, that Ministry doesn’t actually exist (YET!). But these actions will bring to life what a people’s Just Transition could look like – and showcase the kind of action that this moment demands. 

With dozens of actions like these happening across the country, we’ll mount pressure on our politicians to work towards the boldest just transition legislation possible.

You can learn more, sign up to host an event, and download the event organizing toolkit here.

Help ramp up just transition petition organizing in your community

• Sign up here to let us know you’re interested.
• Download this Flood Parliament toolkit, which includes a Parliamentary petition and detailed instructions on what to do with it.
• Collect at least 25 signatures, on paper. This is the minimum number necessary for an MP to table a petition in the House of Commons.
• Deliver these petitions to an MP in your area and ask them to table and speak about this petition in the House of Commons.
• Take pictures while you’re collecting signatures and during your meeting with the MP, share them on social media, and tell your community about what you’re doing.
• Let us know how meeting with your MP went.
• Repeat! You can ask the same MP to table the petition multiple times, creating multiple opportunities for them to support the demand for just transition legislation.

See the toolkit | Sign up to participate | Questions? Read our FAQ

Why do we need just transition legislation?

Communities and experts know that we need just transition legislation that:

• Legislates Canada’s fair-share emissions reductions;
• protects and strengthens worker rights, Indigenous rights, human rights, and ensures migrant justice;
• creates new economic institutions to implement the transition;
• expands the social safety net and reduces growing inequality; and
• creates good green jobs and drives inclusive workforce development.

Scientists have issued a “code red for humanity” to tackle the climate crisis, but governments continue to let corporations call the shots.

With your help, we can break the grip of corporate influence. Organize your community to pressure MPs to support just transition legislation.

MPs who have tabled/agreed to table the Flood Parliament just transition petition: