NDP frustrated by Liberals’ fossil fuel subsidies plan
NDP Critic for Climate Change and Environment, Laurel Collins, made the following statement:
Media Release: NDP frustrated by Liberals’ fossil fuel subsidies plan
Media Release: NDP frustrated by Liberals’ fossil fuel subsidies plan
July 24th, 2023
"Canada is facing the worst wildfire season on record, and its only expected to get worse. People are losing their homes, their livelihoods and even their lives. And while Canadians are struggling with the devastating impacts of climate disasters and the rising cost of living, big oil CEOs are getting richer than ever. Canadians are expecting their government to take stronger actions to tackle the climate emergency.
The NDP made the elimination of fossil fuel subsidies a priority in the Confidence and Supply Agreement with the Liberals because we knew we couldn’t trust them to act on their own. Time and time again they have shown that they side with big oil and their rich CEOs instead of taking meaningful action to help mitigate the harm of the worsening climate crisis. Under Justin Trudeau, Canada has provided more public financing for fossil fuels than any other G20 country— and it had to stop. This is not a record Canadians are proud of and New Democrats knew that we had to demand more.
Without the NDP at the table, this announcement would not have happened. The framework would have included more loopholes and leave out too many subsidies to big oil. Also, the Accelerated Capital Cost Allowance tax break for big oil would have been extended, which would have resulted in a significant amount of taxpayer money continuing to go to profitable oil companies. While we know that we had to fight like hell to get the Liberals where they are today, it is clear that this announcement doesn’t meet the urgency of the moment when climate disasters are putting everything we value at risk.
This important issue shows how dramatically different the Liberals and the NDP truly are. While the Liberals are ready to give big oil an additional $12 billion for technologies like carbon capture storage when they have already made record profits this year, New Democrats believe that we should force those big companies to be more responsible for our environment and use the profits they made off the backs’ of Canadians to make those investments.
While the Liberals’ half measures and climate action delay are extremely frustrating, our environment and Canadians need us to keep fighting. We have been using all the tools we have to force the Liberals to take actions that they wouldn’t clearly have taken otherwise. The NDP will keep pushing for the immediate elimination of specific fossil fuel subsidies that Liberals left out - like the exploration and development expense deductions for oil and gas - and for a plan to end public financing of the fossil fuel sector – the biggest bulk of the subsidies - by the end of this year.
There is no time to waste and no more excuses for delay. We will keep fighting to put an end to fossil fuel subsidies once and for all."
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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.”