Climate Change & the Environment platforms
Here's what the candidates in New Tecumseth—Gwillimbury, and their parties, are promising.Climate adaptation
Liberal
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Provide a $500M top-up for the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund to help strengthen community infrastructure against disasters
Green
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Normalise Canadian Armed Forces deployment for civilian protection during climate disasters
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Incorporate Indigenous governments in all national emergency planning and response efforts through the Council of Canadian Governments
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Create a Federal-Provincial-Territorial Emergency Response Framework, ensuring seamless coordination between federal, provincial, municipal, and Indigenous governments
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Launch a National Wildfire Resilience Strategy, invoking federal emergency powers to expand tree planting, fire breaks, and wildfire suppression efforts
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Procure additional water bombers for high-risk zones
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Restore natural buffer zones to protect vulnerable communities from wildfires and floods
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Integrate AI-based disaster prediction tools into national planning
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Expand adaptation funding for the most vulnerable communities, particularly Indigenous and remote communities
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Expand and fully fund emergency response forces, including Northern Rangers, Coast Guard, National Civil Defence Corps, Park Rangers, and Fisheries Patrol
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Increase disaster assistance and rapid response capabilities through defence spending
NDP
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Update the National Building Code to include cooling requirements and safe maximum indoor temperature limits
Conservation
Conservative
Liberal
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Create at least 10 new national parks and marine conservation areas, and 15 new urban parks
Green
NDP
Electric vehicles
Conservative
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Cancel the planned requirement that 20% of passenger vehicles must be zero-emissions by 2026
Liberal
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Support building thousands of new electric vehicle charging stations by 2027
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Look into reintroducing a purchase incentive worth up to $5,000
Green
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Ban the sale of internal combustion engine passenger vehicles by 2030
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Exempt new and used zero-emission vehicles from federal sales tax
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Expand electric vehicle charging stations at all federal facilities and parking lots
NDP
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Extend federal rebates for new electric vehicles up to $5,000
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Double rebates for electric vehicles made in Canada to $10,000
Electricity
Liberal
"Build out Canada’s east-west electricity grid, a nation-building transmission project developed with provinces, territories, and Indigenous partners, and stakeholders. This commitment will unleash clean growth across the country, connecting more homes and businesses to the power of clean electricity and attracting new investments in resource projects. And we will open new markets for large electricity producers in Canada, such as Hydro-Québec and Manitoba Hydro, and enhance connectivity to low-emissions electricity needed for industry and the broader economy to reach net-zero emissions. This effort will strengthen our energy security and build Canada into one economy." — liberal.ca, retrieved 2025-04-21
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Green
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Invest in solar, wind, hydro, and geothermal energy; and modernised transmission, smart grids, and energy storage systems
NDP
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Aim for a net-zero electricity grid by 2035
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Aim for a 100% non-emitting electricity grid by 2045
Freshwater
Liberal
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Invest $100M in a strategic water security technology fund
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Integrate water security into trade and diplomatic priorities
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Invest an additional $10M to fight aquatic invasive species
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Increase enforcement efforts
Green
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Develop a National Water Strategy to ensure long-term protection of freshwater resources in collaboration with Indigenous and provincial governments
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Recognise water as a collective resource in federal legislation to prevent privatisation and unsustainable extraction
Green building retrofits
Liberal
Green
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Launch a nationwide energy efficiency retrofit programme to lower emissions from buildings, homes, and industrial facilities
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Update the National Building Code to mandate net-zero building standards by 2030
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Set a national target to reduce overall energy demand across all sectors by 50% by 2050 through efficiency measures, electrification, and sustainable urban planning
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Provide direct grants and zero-interest loans for renewable installations in homes, businesses, and communities
NDP
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Modernise the Energy Efficiency Act
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Update the National Building Code to include cooling requirements and safe maximum indoor temperature limits
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Develop an effective federal emissions performance standard for large buildings
"We will launch an ambitious national retrofit program to reduce emissions and make life more affordable—starting with the people who need it most. Working with local businesses for installation, the program will deliver free energy efficiency upgrades to millions of low-income households, including apartment buildings, with a goal of eliminating energy poverty in Canada by 2035. By retrofitting every building in the country by 2050, we’ll cut climate pollution, lower monthly bills, and create good local jobs in every region." — ndp.ca, retrieved 2025-04-19
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Green jobs
Liberal
Green
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Enact a Just Transition Act to ensure affected workers and communities lead their own transition plans with legally-protected rights to income support, retraining, and career placement
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Create a Just Transition Benefit to provide wage insurance, income protection, early retirement options, and relocation assistance for workers in declining industries
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Set up locally-driven Just Transition Centres to connect displaced workers to new employment, training, and economic development opportunities
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Set up a National Skills Tracking & Transition Database to ensure every fossil fuel worker has a direct job-matching pathway to well-paid, long-term work
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Support the Youth Climate Corps to create tens of thousands of youth jobs in green infrastructure, conservation, and public service
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Invest in green value-added industries such as battery production and critical minerals refining, green steel and zero-emission aluminium processing, and mass timber and engineered wood production
NDP
Greenhouse gas emissions
Conservative
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Support a plan to double Newfoundland and Labrador's oil and gas production
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Repeal the cap on industrial greenhouse gas emissions from oil and gas
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Cancel the planned requirement that 20% of passenger vehicles must be zero-emissions by 2026
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Reform Investment Tax Credits to reward clean manufacturing and production
Liberal
Green
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Redirect Natural Resources Canada to support low-carbon industrial development, sustainable resource extraction, and clean tech innovation
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Align national trade policy with climate goals and implement carbon-intensity tariffs on imported goods
NDP
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Immediately cap oil and gas emissions, and maintain a strong cap going forward
Marine conservation
Conservative
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Approve oil exports from Arctic ports
Liberal
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Ratify the High Seas Treaty as soon as possible
Green
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Prioritise Indigenous-led conservation efforts, ensuring IPCAs receive permanent fundign and legal recognition within Canada's marine governance framework
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Ban new offshore oil and gas development and phase out existing operations
NDP
Mining and minerals
Conservative
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Create a single office to handle all regulatory approvals across all levels of government
Liberal
Green
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Invest in a Sudbury-based mining innovation cluster to drive sustainable mining practices and processing
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Mandate strong environmental and labour protections all mining developments
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Increase funding to the Canadian Impact Assessment Agency to expand Indigenous participation in decision making on industrial projects
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Invest in green value-added industries such as battery production and critical minerals refining, green steel and zero-emission aluminium processing, and mass timber and engineered wood production
NDP
Oil and gas
Conservative
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Repeal the Impact Assessment Act
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Repeal the ban on tankers carrying more than 12,500 metric tons of crude oil or persistent oil products from using ports in north-west BC
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Repeal the cap on industrial greenhouse gas emissions from oil and gas
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Support a plan to double Newfoundland and Labrador's oil and gas production
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Approve the LNG Newfoundland and Labrador project
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Approve oil exports from Arctic ports
Liberal
Green
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Increase funding to the Canadian Impact Assessment Agency to expand Indigenous participation in decision making on industrial projects
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Invest in green value-added industries such as battery production and critical minerals refining, green steel and zero-emission aluminium processing, and mass timber and engineered wood production
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Cancel all new fossil fuel pipelines and oil exploration projects
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End federal fossil fuel leases and retire existing licenses
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Ban new offshore oil and gas development and phase out existing operations
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Phase out bitumen production for fuel through a managed decline strategy
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Make fossil fuel companies fully liable for abandoned wells and tailings ponds
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Repurpose orphaned wells for geothermal energy where viable, and restore all remaining sites through soil remediation, rewilding, and Indigenous-led land recovery
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Divest federal public investment funds from fossil fuels, and require Crown corporations to do the same
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Mandate Canadian banks and pension funds to phase out fossil fuel investments and transition financing toward clean energy
NDP
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Immediately cap oil and gas emissions, and maintain a strong cap going forward
Pollution
Conservative
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End the dumping of raw sewage into Canada's waterways
Green
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Remove corporate tax deductions for unsold consumer goods, ending financial incentives for wasteful inventory disposal
NDP
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Ban the sale of products containing unnecessary plastic microparticles by 2030
Public transit
Conservative
Liberal
Green
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Adopt a National Transportation Strategy to reach zero-carbon public ground transportation across Canada by 2040
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Commit to a permanent, dedicated federal public transit fund annually starting in 2026
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Allow cities to use federal transit funding for operations, including hiring drivers, increasing service frequency, and reducing fares
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Require all passenger ferries to convert to electric or hybrid systems
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Introduce fair tax measures to encourage sustainable mobility choices, including public transit use and active transportation
NDP
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Work with provinces and municipalities to double public transit ridership by 2035