Tim Weis,
Director of the Pembina Institute's renewable energy and efficiency program,
made the following statement in response to Michael Ignatieff's speech today in
Vancouver, in which he set the Liberal Party's sights on making Canada "the
most efficient user of energy in the world" and committed to make "the most
significant national investment in clean energy jobs this country has even
seen":
"It is encouraging to see Mr. Ignatieff place a strong
emphasis on the growth of renewable energy and energy efficiency, given the
global boom in these technologies and their role in fighting climate change.
However, more details about targets and mechanisms are needed to make this a workable
plan.
This is a critical time to be investing in renewable power since Canada's federal ecoENERGY for Renewable Power program was not extended in the federal budget. The program is now running out of money, which is scaring investors away from Canada. President Obama's recovery and reinvestment package included $27 billion of support for renewable energy, almost 14 times more per person than Canada's economic stimulus package.
Although Mr. Ignatieff is promising big investments in sustainable energy, he had little to say today about a broader climate change plan. His commitment to hard caps on carbon emissions is welcome, but he didn't give any indication of cap levels or timing. Today's speech sets an encouraging direction for energy policy, but we're still waiting for Mr. Ignatieff to take a strong stance on other aspects of climate policy, including a national target for cutting greenhouse gases."
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The Pembina Institute is a non-partisan sustainable energy think tank.
Contact:
Tim Weis
Director, Renewable Energy and Efficiency Program
The Pembina Institute
Cell: 613-601-6519
For a comparison of US and Canadian "stimulus" spending on renewable energy and energy efficiency, see www.pembina.org/pub/1786