We’re in the final moments to shape the Sustainable Jobs legislation – but the democratic process has been sabotaged by Conservative MPs.
Over the last month, Conservative members of the Natural Resources Committee wasted over 25 hours of committee time to keep workers and experts from appearing as witnesses to strengthen the bill. And I really mean they wasted that time – discussion somehow included muscle cars and milkshakes, not the existential threat to our planet.
In response, the government is going to move the Sustainable Jobs Act through committee tonight – with the final vote happening in the house as early as Friday.
Right now, we have a small window of opportunity – just the next 6 hours – to demand the Sustainable Jobs Act that we need. We don’t know what, if any, amendments are already on the table, but we do know that the bill as it was originally proposed falls far short of what is needed to support workers and communities.
The Liberal government unveiled the “Sustainable Jobs Act” earlier this year to fulfill its years-long promise of just transition legislation, but the bill is significantly lacking in scope and ambition.
Here’s why:
- It does not include strong enough accountability measures to make sure this transition really happens.
- The bill is good on jobs but light on climate action. There are no clear ambition or targets for the level of social and economic transformation or emissions cuts that are needed.
- It includes support for false climate solutions like carbon capture, utilization and storage which prolong the fossil fuel industry’s grip on our society.
This is our last chance to let decision-makers know that the Sustainable Jobs Act must be strengthened to support workers and communities.
There are three things you can do right now to demand that key amendments be incorporated into the Sustainable Jobs Act.
We’ve come a long way, and we must not allow this bill to become yet another policy that puts corporate profits before workers, communities, and the planet.
Let’s seize this opportunity to ensure a just, livable, and hopeful future for all.
P.S. Read our analysis about the initial bill here.
