Dear Editor,
[Vancouver Island's Mount Underwood fire expected to grow; Snaking River wildfire west of Quesnel being held, evacuation alerts lifted; www.langleyadvancetimes.com]
Is this what young people deserve? Reflections on International Youth Day [Aug. 12].
Five months ago, when Mark Carney was on a mission to woo Canadians in his bid to lead both party and country, he wrote: 鈥淵oung people deserve more from their government. They deserve to have optimism and confidence in their future. That鈥檚 the Canada I want to build.鈥�
58 days after being elected and nearly 10 years after his landmark 鈥渢ragedy of the horizon鈥� speech about acting with foresight to prevent climate harms, Carney's government rammed through Bill C-5 鈥� legislation that gives cabinet sweeping powers to bypass environmental reviews and protections.
As the second-worst wildfire season in Canadian history forces evacuations from coast to coast to coast, and leaders muse about taxpayer-funded fossil fuel expansion, I have to ask: is this the 鈥渕ore鈥� that young people deserve?
Or are we seeing the continued sidelining of young peoples鈥� rights to a climate-safe future, leaving them with no choice but to litigate? On International Youth Day, I celebrated the bravery of the seven young Ontarians in Mathur v. Ontario for taking their government to court over climate harms. For them, and for me, actions speak louder than words.
Carol Heuman, Aldergrove