The Liberal Party of Canada says more needs to be done across the country to promote green building and construction of sustainable communities and has blasted the current government for what it claims is an abdication of leadership on sustainable municipal infrastructure.
During a keynote address to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities on Tuesday, current Liberal leader Bob Rae said more federal investment was needed to create resilient cities and communities.
“The simple fact is that this Conservative government has abdicated leadership entirely on sustainable municipal infrastructure,” he said. “As such, our cities and communities have been forced to pick up the slack, making critical contributions to ensuring that Canada becomes a more green and sustainable country, while adapting to the on-going and future impacts of climate change.”
Holding up the $550 million Green Municipal Fund established under the previous Liberal government, aimed at supporting municipal leaders across the country, as an example of what he says needs to be done, Rae says climate change will have a significant economic impact, and that councils should not be left to fund costs of sustainable municipal infrastructure on their own.
“As the National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy noted, climate change could cost Canada $5 billion by 2020 and as much as $43 billion by 2050 if nothing is done to mitigate its impacts,” he said. “If we are to prosper as a nation, the federal government needs to join our cities and communities, and be a leader and partner in green infrastructure and technologies.”
