The National Farmers Union (NFU) applauds today’s decision of the Supreme Court of Canada to declare the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act (GGPPA) constitutionally valid. This decision confirms the federal government’s jurisdiction to take strong national leadership action to curb greenhouse gas emissions and safeguard the future for all Canadians.
NFU President Katie Ward summed up the NFU’s approach to the case: “The NFU became an intervenor in the Supreme Court case, not because our organization endorses the federal government’s current greenhouse gas pricing measures, but because the NFU strongly supports the federal government’s constitutional authority to create national policies to reduce emissions. This decision clears the way for strong federal leadership and enforcement powers coupled with ongoing federal, provincial, and territorial work rooted in the principles and traditions of co-operative federalism.”
NFU members strongly believe that the current climate emergency requires strong, swift Canadian government action. NFU member Glenn Wright stated: “The facts are clear: we must accelerate the transition to clean energy and efficiency in order to mitigate the severity of the Climate Crisis, safeguard our food supply, and protect biodiversity, and we must turn our attention to creating opportunities through collaboration across multiple jurisdictions.”
The NFU and its coalition partners in Farmers for Climate Solutions (FCS) have put forward a comprehensive list of government policies that can assist farmers in reducing agricultural emissions. “This decision clears the way for the federal government to expand efforts to support farmers in reducing emissions. Farmers want to lead in the struggle to safeguard the climate and food system and reduce emissions, but we need strong federal partnership. This decision paves the way for that federal action” said NFU Director of Climate Crisis Policy and Action, Darrin Qualman.
For more on the decision and its context, please see attached backgrounder.
