National

The Canadian Sustainable Jobs Act has been a move in the right direction, but there is still more ground to cover to bring about an equitable energy transition that is inclusive and leaves no one behind. Bill C-50 (44-1) received Royal Assent in June 2024, becoming a law in Canada. The purpose of this act is to “facilitate and promote economic growth, the creation of sustainable jobs and support for workers and communities in Canada in the shift to a net-zero economy…” See document here: https://www.parl.ca/DocumentViewer/en/44-1/bill/C-50/royal-assent

This act requires the federal government to develop additional programs and policies to bring about an equitable economy for all that upholds Indigenous rights and ecological integrity, to align with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and Canada’s international climate commitments. This act became a reality thanks to the push from labour, environmental organizations, community leaders, and Flood Parliament organizers, despite the opposition from the Conservative Party, who stalled its implementation when it was first called “The Just Transition Act”.

But there is still more ground to cover: A weakness of the Sustainable Jobs Act is its allowance for “transition” technologies like carbon capture and storage (CCS) as opportunities for sustainable jobs, despite uncertainties about their effectiveness in decarbonization and emission reductions. This provision enables the fossil fuel industry to continue operating as usual, impeding a fair transition to sustainability. For more information, read this interesting article from The Council of Canadians: https://canadians.org/analysis/sustainable-jobs-act-become-law-now-what/

Earlier this spring, I had the privilege of travelling to Ottawa for a climate justice advocacy effort on Canada’s Parliament Hill. Working with the Office of Religious Congregations for Integral Ecology (ORCIE), I was one of eight people of various congregations who made the trip to the capital for 3 days.

We spent one full day traveling between the offices of members of parliament and senior policy advisors on the environment and climate change, addressing them about our policy brief which focussed on ending the fossil fuel era and reducing emissions and the carbon footprint of oil and gas companies.

They were all keen to understand how integral ecology, the practice of working for policy changes that contribute to relationships of solidarity with people and the cosmos, can help move their work forward. 

Before that day, we had an afternoon of deepening our learning about the issues and determining who would address which parts in our meetings. These are very tightly scheduled conversations, and it is important to be prepared. 

Thanks to Genevieve Gallant, the full-time staff person for ORCIE, we were well-versed for the day. There were two groups of lobbyists. I was in the good and smart company of Sue Wilson, Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph Canada (CSJ); Heather Rousselle, an associate of the Congregation of Notre Dame; and Genevieve Gallant, ORCIE. The other group was comprised of Joan Atkinson, CSJ; Joe Gunn, executive director of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate Justice Centre; Darlene O’Leary, justice ministry coordinator for the Sisters of St. Martha; and Sabrina Chiefari, the creation care animator for the Sisters of St. Joseph, Toronto.

Meeting with the Environment Critic for the New Democrats, Laurel Collins, MP (Member of Parliament), Victoria, we learned how she centered Indigenous voices in the calls for divestment from fossil fuels. She asked for our support in her effort to ensure grants for low-income retrofits and the passing of the Climate-Aligned Finance Act, put forward by Senator Rosa Galvez.

In our meeting with Rob Oliphant, an MP from Ontario in the Liberal government, we gained a commitment from him to raise the issue of the fossil fuel emissions goal being too low for Canada’s most polluting sector at a caucus meeting with the prime minister and cabinet.

During a breakfast meeting hosted by Above Ground, a human rights organization, we heard from Elizabeth May, MP and leader of Canada’s Green Party, that the Trans-Canada Pipeline scheduled to start up by July 1st (Canada Day) must be stopped or we will have 800 tankers a year traversing our waters. She described climate justice work as “difficult and soul destroying.”

That is why it is essential that the Religious Congregations in Canada continue to band together in support of the Office for Integral Ecology. It is “difficult and soul-destroying” work for the people in power who are on the side of right. They need to know they have both the prayerful and intellectual support of the sisters, brothers, and priests in Canada, along with thousands of Catholics they work with, live with, and pray with within their communities.

See article here: Visiting The Hill in Canada with ORCIE | School Sisters of Notre Dame – Atlantic Midwest Province

In March 2024, ORCIE organized a three-day “Learning & Lobbying” series, which

culminated in in-person meetings on Parliament Hill in Ottawa with MPs and top civil

servants to discuss the transition away from fossil fuels, with a particular focus on

capping emissions. Eight participants from various congregations attended the event, with most traveling from outside Ottawa.

The L& L process prepared two small teams to meet with MPs and top civil servants on Parliament Hill. Our preparation began with an online panel discussion on Canada’s transition away from fossil fuels with guest speaker Alex Cool-Fergus, National Policy Manager with CAN-Rac and led by Genevieve Gallant, Executive Director of ORCIE and Sue Wilson, CSJ, PhD – Office for Systemic Justice, Federation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Canada. This session addressed two key questions to consider in preparation for meetings with MPs and senior civil servants:

1. What are the legislative actions and moments to leverage right now in our transition to clean energy?
2. Where and how can we act to be a part of a ‘new reset’, understanding there is no room for new oil and gas production in Canada?

The second step involved an in-person presentation titled “Brass tacks: Multilateralism from below,” led by Genevieve Gallant, Executive Director of ORCIE at St. Paul University, Ottawa, followed by lunch. This session covered a review of the ORCIE’s lobby guide, report-back documents, policy briefs, and elevator speech. We also trained participants for MP meetings and ended with small group discussions to set specific meeting goals. The final step involved participants from the different congregations holding in-person meetings on the Hill with MP’s and top civil servants ending with a concrete ‘ask’. This final step concluded with a debrief and dinner to share experiences and feedback.

In May of 2023 ORCIE and Joint Ecological Ministry (JEM) organized a successful, multi-day “Learning & Lobbying” series, culminating in meetings in Ottawa on Parliament Hill with MPs and Senators on issues of ecological justice.  Our preparation began with our online education session SEE: The Problem of Climate Change in the Context of Canadian Public Policy, a panel conversation with staff from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and Climate Action Network-Reseau action climat.   The second step in the process involved 30 religious meeting online for DISCERN: Levers for Faith Communities, led by Sr. Sue Wilson, CSJ, PhD – Office for Systemic Justice, Federation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Canada.  In this session we looked at how our creation-based worldview calls us as people of faith to heal the distorted relationship we have with nature, and to act with the level of urgency this emergency requires.  The final step was an in-person advocacy training ACT: What is the focused government action we want to achieve?  by ORCIE’s Genevieve Gallant, ahead of visiting 8 MPs, Ministers, and/or Senators on Parliament Hill the following day.   These sessions as well as the excellent debrief can be watched at: http://tinyurl.com/learnandlobby

Productive advocacy meetings took place with Senator Rosa Galvez (Quebec), MP Elizabeth May (Green), MP Julie Dabrusin (Liberal), MP Joanne Thompson (Liberal), Sheri Meyerhoff (CORE), MP Peter Fragiskatos (Liberal), MP Damien Kurek (Conservative) and MP Filomena Tassi (Liberal), Minister of Public Services and Procurement. The day was also a great opportunity to attend the House of Commons where we heard London, ON MPs talk about the opioid crisis, and to visit the Senate of Canada for International Women’s Day, where ORCIE and women religious were recognized as special guests.