[All] Letter from Jack Layton re: Bill C-311

[Louisette Lanteigne]

Thank you for your previous email regarding the upcoming UN climate change
summit in Copenhagen. 

I want to take this opportunity to update you on my Party's work to advance
the fight against dangerous climate change. Our efforts received a major
setback due to the combined forces of Conservative and Liberal MPs who voted
together to delay Bill C-311, the New Democrat Climate Change Accountability
Act.

Bill C-311, with tough, science-based reduction targets for our greenhouse
gases, offered Canada a real chance to prove to the world that it is serious
about tackling climate change. It passage by Parliament would have given
Canada the credibility it sorely needs when it goes to the UN Climate Change
Conference in Copenhagen. Now, instead of taking leadership on the
environment, Canada will go to Copenhagen with nothing to offer.

For our part, New Democrats will seek any parliamentary measure possible to
return C-311 to Parliament.

The decision by Liberal MPs to join with the Conservative to deny passage of
this important legislation made one thing clear: more votes for the
Conservatives and Liberals will mean less tangible action to protect our
environment. 

Others agree with our assessment:

"To date, Liberal environmental policies are indistinguishable from those of
the Conservative government that have pushed Canada to last place among
developed nations in protecting climate and the natural environment." -
Stephen Hazell, Executive Director, Sierra Club Canada on September 21,
2009.

"This Bill (C-311) has wide support from a broad spectrum of Canadians.
Politicians need to set aside their partisan differences and agree on these
science-based emissions reduction targets. Time is running out." - Mark
Fried, policy coordinator, Oxfam Canada on October 21, 2009.

"Passing this Bill (C-311) before Copenhagen in December is Parliament's
only hope of proving that we are prepared to work seriously through the
United Nations to find a solution to global warming. The Liberals voting
with the Conservatives may have made that impossible." - Dale Marshall,
David Suzuki Foundation on October 21, 2009.

Looking forward, you can continue to count on our team of New Democrat MPs
to push our plan to take on big polluters, protect our environment, and
invest in sustainable solutions. I invite you to check the following link to
find out more about our work:
http://www.ndp.ca/platform/environment/aplanthatwillwork.

Again, thank you for your ongoing interest to have Canada's elected
representatives act on climate change. Feel free to forward my email to
anyone interested in environmental protection. All the best.

Sincerely,

Jack Layton, MP (Toronto-Danforth)
Leader, Canada's New Democrats
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