Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau said Tuesday that “we need to do more” to tackle climate change in Canada.
Speaking with Global National’s Dawna Friesen in his first sit down interview since images of him in racist makeup emerged last week, Trudeau faced questions about issues surrounding the Liberal’s policies and their election campaign.
One question was on whether or not Swedish activist Greta Thunberg would be satisfied with Trudeau’s environmental policies.
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“If Greta Thunberg was walking here with you instead of me, and she was saying to you what she said yesterday, ‘basically you failed us young people’, what would you say?” asked Friesen.
“I would say, ‘I agree, we need to do more,’ and that’s why moving forward on the ambitious plans that we are going to be laying out this week, that include cutting taxes in half for zero-emission businesses because we know there’s a trillion-dollar economy in developing zero-emissions technology over the coming years and Canada can, and must, be a part of that,” answered Trudeau.
Thunberg first made headlines when she took time off from school to protest for climate action outside of her country’s parliament.
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The 16-year old gave an impassioned speech Monday at the UN Climate Action Summit, scolding world leaders for their complacency in tackling climate change.
“This is all wrong. I shouldn’t be up here. I should be back in school on the other side of the ocean, yet you all come to us young people for hope. How dare you,” said Thunberg. “You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words.”
“We are in the beginning of a mass extinction and yet all you can talk about is money. You are failing us.”
READ MORE: ‘How dare you’: Greta Thunberg gives powerful, emotional speech to the UN
Just a day after Thunberg’s remarks, Trudeau would announce several “legally binding” targets to be added to the Liberal’s environmental plan at a campaign stop in Burnaby, B.C.
The first being a commitment to attain zero net carbon emissions across the country by 2050, and the second aimed at halving income-taxes for corporations that produce zero-emission technologies.
Aside from the announcement, no other details were given on how a re-elected Liberal government would achieve net-zero emissions, or how the “legally binding” targets would work, despite repeated questioning from reporters at the event.
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“Politicians, academics, scientists, entrepreneurs, Canadians, we will all be seized by it (climate change). So here’s the question: do you want to be represented by a team that has a plan and is ready to do more? Or do you want a team of climate deniers?” Trudeau said instead, deflecting aim towards Conservative leadership.
Conservative Party Leader Andrew Scheer‘s climate plan based itself on a “tech, not taxes” mission statement. The Conservatives also promised to revoke the Liberal’s Carbon Tax and bring back the public transit tax credit.
Previous promises made by the Liberal’s that looked to tackle the issue were $300 million in incentives for Canadians to buy zero-emission vehicles, as well as a ban on “harmful” single-use plastics by 2021.
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NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh also promised Tuesday that if elected, his party would build an east-west clean energy corridor and convert all public transit systems across Canada to electric vehicles.
Past promises the NDP made in tackling the global warming issue were outlined in their climate change plan, which focused on cutting greenhouse-gas emissions in half over the next decade, as well as an announcement that promised cash incentives for new car owners to buy zero-emission vehicles built in Canada.
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Elizabeth May’s Green Party promised to transition fossil fuel workers over to the renewable energy sector and to have carbon-free public transit by 2040. Their election platform addressed a wide range of policies to address the climate emergency.