Editor:
Re: Conservatives’ plan questioned March 11, letters
In response to Arlene McGinn’s statement in her letter to the editor, I never stated during the election that Conservatives have no climate plan because that is not a true statement, if that is what Arlene McGinn meant by stating that “government (did not) have a climate plan.”
The Conservatives’ environmental policies are readily available at www.arealplan.ca and have been publicized online since June 19, 2019. The plan is detailed in a 60-page document, focused on a balanced approach to reduce emissions, conserve and protect our air, land, water and wildlife, and fight climate change abroad.
The brochure to which Arlene McGinn refers was not a policy document, but a communication to South Surrey-White Rock residents with a sampling of my various activities, my role in Ottawa, and an opportunity for constituents to write back to me on topics of their choice.
Conservatives believe that Justin Trudeau’s carbon tax is not an environmental plan. The federal Liberal plan gives big industrial polluters a special exemption, while forcing families to pay more to drive to work, and to heat their homes. Especially during challenging times, families should not have to pay more to be socially engineered by government “nudging.”
The Conservative plan is built on three key policy principles. First, investing in green technology, not taxes, is the best way to actually lower our emissions. Second, we want to promote a cleaner and greener natural environment. We will work with farmers, hunters and anglers, Indigenous peoples, provinces, and territories to help protect our air, land, water and wildlife. Third, let us take the climate change fight global because it is a shared problem. It requires a global solution, and Canada has a leadership role to play. I am looking forward to championing the many proven and newly emerging Canadian technology advances. I will also stand up for an economic approach that does not punish job creators nor drive away investors.
I also want to give a shout out to Bob Holden who wrote on March 18 (Time to get creative) with some suggestions for Canadians to take more personal responsibility in the pursuit of real solutions. We can all do our part. Real solutions domestically and globally are what we should be focused on.
Kerry-Lynne Findlay, MP, South Surrey-White Rock