Jody Wilson-Raybould calls for non-partisan approach to climate change

The climate crisis is the biggest challengeof ourtimeand should be a non-partisan issue, says Jody Wilson-Raybould, former Liberal cabinet minister and now independent federal candidate.

At an all-candidates meeting in Vancouver, she urged politicians to work together to producea boldclimate action plan that meets the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change target of reaching net-zero emmisions by 2050.

"And the only way to do that, in my opinion, is to work outside of the party lines,taking all the best ideas from the individuals that find themselves in the House of Commons."

Wilson-Raybould, along with four of the other five candidates for the riding of Vancouver Granville, addressed questions about the climate crisis and First Nations issues.

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Her opponents are LiberalTaleeb Noormohamed,Yvonne Hanson of the NDP, Naomi Chocykof the People's Party, Louise Boutinof the Greens and ConservativeZach Segal, whodid not participate in the Sunday meeting.

Vancouver City Councillor Christine Boyle and Victor Guerin, a member of the Musqueam Community, moderated the event andposed questions about how the candidates and their parties would meet the environmental crisis andunderstand and deal with the issues affecting Indigenous peoples.

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Wilson-Raybould supporters called her a "fighter" and saidthat they supportheras an independent.

'I'll probably vote for Jody'

Cheryl Parkersays she could be swayed by the NDP and Greens, but is pro-pipeline. So, for now, she supportsWilson-Raybould.

"I'll probably vote for Jody," she said. "I supported her last time when she was a Liberal. I have reservations about how effective an independent MP can be."

Wilson-Raybould was at the heart of the SNC-Lavalin scandal as justice minister under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. She said she was pressured by the Prime Minister's Officeto spare the Quebec engineering firm from prosecution and waseventually expelled from the Liberal caucus.

In August, the ethics commissioner found that the prime minister had violated the Conflict of Interest Act by trying to influence Wilson-Raybould.

Chris Shelton, another voter at the meeting, said voting for Wilson-Raybould would send a message to Ottawa.

"If I vote for Jody Wilson-Raybould, it will be saying to the Liberal hierarchy that we want to enforce the rule of law in Canada and not have backyard, over-the-fence deals with major contributors."

Climate solutions

At the forum,Noormohamedtalked about the targets on carbon emissions that the Liberal Party has promised during thecampaign.

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He criticizedConservative candidate Segal for not attending the forum, especially with its focus on the climate crisis.

"We need to make sure that we have a government that is committed to moving forward on this issue of climate change in a meaningful way and the Liberal Party that will do that," he said.

Yvonne Hanson, who joined the NDP as a candidate with a strong background in environmental advocacy, said she is part of the generation that climate change will affect the most. In 2050, she'll be 55.

'Darker and darker'

"So I'm really not looking forward to this future that we've been staring down the barrel of, it's getting darker and darker and darker," she said. "I spent my teen years growing up, watching the government fail to delivery the necessaryaction that we needed 10 years ago."

She says if the NDP forms government it is committed to ending reliance on fossil fuels for transportation, ending fossil fuel subsidies, building sustainable housing and providing job retraining.

"No one should be losing their livelihood in fighting climate change," she said.

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Chocykopened her remarks by describingherself as a settler in the riding and wanting to honour First Nations in their desire for self-determination. On the climate file, she said she was concerned about the climate emergency narrative and its desperate tone.

"We must not base our public policies on fears and panic and sentiment," she said. "It's not responsible."

She said climate change is going to happen and that Canada should focus on being less reliant on foreign nations for oil. She also suggested that to help reduce worldwide emissions, Canada could export more liquefied natural gas to China as a way to help reduce that country's reliance on coal.

Boutin followed Chocyk by emphatically saying the world is facing a climate crisis and the Green Party promises to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60 per cent by 2030 andbe carbon neutral by 2050.

"We have been idle for so many years, I'm ashamed, I'm embarrassedfor my generation," she said.

Meeting MMIWG recommendations

On questions about First Nations, thecandidates spoke about how they would address recommendations from the inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

Most talked about programs that would addresspoverty, violence, trauma, housing and substance abuse thatIndigenous people in Canadaface.