Green the Budget - December 10, 2001

OTTAWA (December 10, 2001) — The billions of dollars in new security spending in today’s federal budget doesn’t address the threats Canadians face everyday, says the Green Budget Coalition.

“It’s disappointing that the government takes such a narrow view of security,” said Julie Gelfand, executive director of the Canadian Nature Federation and Chair of the Green Budget Coalition. “Paul Martin could have really improved the security of Canadians, by providing funding to improve things like the safety of our air, water and food.”

The Coalition is encouraged by the announcement that the government will double funding to the Green Municipal Enabling Fund and the Green Municipal Investment Fund, and enhance incentives for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects.

“The budget does include some important initial investments in renewable energy that will help Canada catch up to our competitors in this area,” said Robert Hornung, policy director for the Pembina Institute. “Unfortunately, no other significant investments have been identified to help us tackle air pollution and climate change.”

The Green Budget Coalition submission had urged the federal government to address the following key areas in next month’s budget:

Healthy Communities, including a “Clean Canada Fund” to clean up and remediate toxic waste sites and relocation of communities at risk;
Protection and Conservation of our Natural Heritage, including improvements to national parks, and the creation of new parks and marine conservation areas; and
Clean Air and Climate Change, including tax credits to promote clean energy technology and rewards for homeowners who invest in energy efficiency.

The Green Budget Coalition includes 16 environmental and conservation organizations, from Greenpeace to Ducks Unlimited. The full text of the Coalition’s submission is available online at www.cnf.ca/greenbudget.