Hill Times - Jenny Kwan Op Ed: A critical moment for the climate emergency, and a green infrastructure deficit
Hill Times - Jenny Kwan Op Ed: A critical moment for the climate emergency, and a green infrastructure deficit
A critical moment for the climate emergency, and a green infrastructure deficit
An alternative vision is not only possible but necessary to secure Canada’s economic future.
OPINION | BY NDP MP JENNY KWAN | October 8, 2025
Humanity faces unprecedented danger from climate change and biodiversity loss. Eight thousand forest fires occur in Canada each year with 2.1 million hectares on fire on average. To put it in perspective, that’s nearly half the size of Nova Scotia in flames each year.
Canada saw the worst wildfires in the country’s history in 2023, engulfing more than 17 million hectares of land, and requiring approximately 232,000 people to be evacuated. The cost: nearly $10-billion, with $3.1-billion in insured damages.
In 2024, Canada suffered another $8.5-billion in losses, and we saw Jasper, Alta., engulfed in flames. In 2025, while all the figures are still being tallied, as of July, there were more than 3,500 wildfires spanning over six million hectares.
Toxic air pollution, respiratory problems, and communities in a state of constant anxiety. Annual wildfires have evolved from occasional events into recurring disasters.
Instead of doubling down to address the impact of the climate crisis, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s first act was to cancel the carbon tax. He put a pause on the zero-emission vehicle sales mandate, and—with the help of the Conservatives—rammed through Bill C-5, legislation that will bypass environmental reviews for what Carney and his cabinet will decide are major projects of national interest. All of this as Canada is poised to miss its 2030 climate target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40-50 per cent below 2005 levels.
No matter the spin, Canada’s actual emissions are currently sitting at 8.5 per cent below 2005 levels. The Liberal government’s inaction is equivalent to pouring gasoline on the flames. CEOs of big oil companies raked in billions of dollars while communities across Canada were ravaged by forest fires over successive summers. These companies are taking no responsibility for their decades-long polluting practices—they just want to maximize profits. Meanwhile, Canadian banks are among the largest investors in the fossil fuel sector worldwide.
In 2015, on the eve of COP21, well before he became prime minister, Carney outlined the global financial risks of a climate crisis. He said climate change is an existential threat to the financial system, and he called for major banks to include climate crisis risks in their investments to align with the Paris Agreement.
A decade later, all of Canada’s major banks have pulled out of their climate commitments now that United States President Donald Trump is at the helm. Now that he is prime minister, Carney is backtracking on Canada’s commitment to climate action to appease Trump.
An alternative vision is not only possible but necessary to secure Canada’s economic future—a vision that grows the economy, creates jobs, supports communities, and helps the country meet its emissions goals. Here are some examples of the type of nation-building major projects that can transform Canada:
- Close the infrastructure gap for First Nations. As identified by the Assembly of First Nations, this will boost Canada’s economic output by $635-billion, create and sustain more than 338,000 jobs per year, and generate more than $87-billion in government tax revenue.
- Fast-track nation-wide infrastructure for electric vehicle charging stations across the country. This would add $48-billion and up to 250,000 jobs to Canada’s economy through the expansion of a domestic electric battery supply chain.
- Make massive investments in a built-by-Canadians-for-Canadians public transit system. In the next 10 years, Metro Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver’s transit systems will need at least 5,000 new buses and more than 200 trains.
- Upscale and expand retrofit initiatives to existing homes to make them low carbon and resilient to the effects of climate change. A deep energy retrofit program can reduce energy by up to 90 per cent, and cut operational carbon emissions by as much as 99 per cent.
- Establish permanent wildfire protection measures with permanent teams who receive training for community defence and ecosystem protection similar to those implemented by California, Australia, and elsewhere.
- Establish a Youth Climate Corps. With youth unemployment in double digits, this will revolutionize our approach to fighting fires, address climate change, and instill hope for the future.
Canadians demand innovative solutions and investments instead of partial solutions and half measures at this critical moment of a climate emergency and a green infrastructure deficit.
Jenny Kwan is the NDP critic for housing, immigration, refugees and citizenship, public safety, national security, infrastructure, and Pacific Economic Development.
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The rally is organized by the Hong Kong Pathway Alliance. Similar events are also taking place in Calgary and Toronto.
The pathway allows eligible Hong Kong residents in Canada, including people who studied or worked here, to apply for PR.
People here say they have waited for years and still do not know when their applications will be finished.
“Right now I’m stuck in limbo. It’s been a year and a half. I haven’t heard back from the IRCC regarding my application, and we’re continuously arguing with, we’re continuously hoping that IRCC sees our cases,” said Vikrambir Singh, another demonstrator.
“There’s not just me, there’s 40,000 plus applications that are stuck in limbo, and we don’t know when they’re going to get processed.”
They also point to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC) processing time tool, which now suggests new applicants could wait more than 10 years for their PR.
The Immigration Minister recently told Parliament that there have been more than 46,000 applications under the Hong Kong PR pathways, and just over 13,000 had arrived.
“And the minister’s solution is, “don’t apply under the lifeboat scheme”. What is she even talking about? That scheme was specifically designed for Hong Kongers, said MP Jenny Kwan, representing Vancouver East for the NDP.
“So, it is absolutely outrageous that she would renege on the government’s promise in suggesting that the Hong Kongers should apply under a different stream. It is absolutely unacceptable.”
The federal government introduced special measures for Hong Kong residents in 2020, after China imposed the national security law in Hong Kong.
*Click image or link to read or watch the TV news story - https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2026/06/07/demonstrators-rally-hong-kong-pr-processing-backlog/
OTTAWA—The Canadian government is considering the use of artificial intelligence to save time creating influential assessment profile reports of offenders as they go to federal prisons, and is running a small-scale trial to test it, the Star has learned.
Carney government releases AI road map that aims to make Canada a leader
Federal Politics
Carney government releases AI road map that aims to make Canada a leader
Mentioned in lengthy documents tabled in Parliament last month and confirmed by Correctional Service Canada (CSC), the test run comes as the Carney government tries to ramp up AI adoption, including with billions in a national strategy released this week.
But the prison trial, which CSC says has not yet been used in real cases, is raising concerns from AI experts, criminal defence lawyers and the federal NDP’s public safety critic, who argue a widespread adoption could lead to crucial errors, exacerbate racial biases and put offenders and victims at risk.
Criminal profile reports, as they are called, are detailed “foundational documents” prepared by CSC staff during a prisoner’s intake process that identify risks and play a role in major decisions like access to programs and likelihood of parole.
Drawing from scores of official documents, they include details about an offender’s criminal history, the circumstances of their crimes, patterns of violence or behavioural, mental health and addiction issues, family and social background, trauma history, education and employment records, and even victim impact statements.
“This is what defines your offence cycle,” criminal defence lawyer Nora Demnati said of those reports. “It will have an impact on everything else that comes.”
That’s why the Carney government should slow down and consult widely, including with the CSC union, its lawyers and the Privacy Commissioner of Canada before going further, said NDP MP Jenny Kwan, the party’s public safety critic. Neither the Union of Safety and Justice Employees or the Office of the Privacy Commissioner have been consulted yet, they told the Star.
Kwan warned of a multitude of legal concerns that go both ways and can have a “cascading impact”: Violating the rights of inmates if mistakes are added to reports, on one hand, or hurting victims and prison staff if crucial information is missed by the AI summaries, on the other.
“When you have those kinds of risks associated with correctional policing matters, you can imagine what the huge ramifications might be,” Kwan told the Star. “You could potentially compromise people’s legal rights.”