THUNDER BAY – A rally outside of MP Patty Hajdu’s office happened at noon on July 29 as part of a national day of action raising the alarm on the urgent need for Canada to increase its climate ambition.
The event was organized by Paul Berger, meetings chair of Citizens United for a Sustainable Planet, and Shadiya Aidid, a member of Fossil Free Lakehead.
.“Right now, most of Canada is either on fire, covered in smoke, flooding or facing some other climate impact, with rural and Indigenous communities being hardest hit” Berger explained,
This includes the evacuation of more than 3,000 of our neighbours from five Northwestern Ontario First Nations. This is what a climate emergency looks like and it’s time for our government to act like we’re in one.”
In response to Hajdu’s refusal to sign the pledge to commit to put a moratorium on all fossil fuel projects, Berger hand delivered a copy of the pledge to her office during the rally.
“I think that, with Patty Hajdu being the health minister, it’s disingenuous to disconnect climate action from health,” said Aidid
The rally in Thunder Bay was one of more than 30 events that happened nationwide demanding action from Canadian politicians on climate change.
“It’s been two years since Justin Trudeau promised a Just Transition Act and more than that since his government declared a climate emergency in Canada,” said Amara Possian, Canada campaigns director for 350.org in a release from Citizens United for a Sustainable Planet,
“This summer makes it clear, we can’t afford to wait for him to match those words with real action.”
