Independent Senator Rosa Galvez introduces motion in Senate to declare a national climate emergency

Ottawa, November 24, 2021 – The Honourable Senator Rosa Galvez gave notice of motion today to declare a national climate emergency in the Senate of Canada. She expects to move and speak to the motion on Tuesday, November 30, 2021.

If the motion is adopted, the Senate would join the House of Commons and 517 other Canadian provincial, territorial and municipal governments that have declared a climate emergency, including the City of Calgary this past November 15th. Over 2,000 jurisdictions in 37 countries representing over one billion people have adopted a climate emergency declaration.

Senator Rosa Galvez is an environmental engineer, a professor at Laval University, an independent Senator for the province of Quebec since 2016, and President of the ParlAmericas’ Parliamentary Network on Climate Change. She was sponsor in the Senate of the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act which was adopted in June 2021, and was the recipient of the 2021 Clean50 award for her parliamentary work on environmental policy. She attended COP26 in Glasgow advocating for legislative action requiring financial activities to align with and support our climate commitments.

 

Text of the Motion

That the Senate of Canada recognize that:

  1. climate change is an urgent crisis that requires an immediate and ambitious response;
  2. human activity is unequivocally warming the atmosphere, ocean and land at an unprecedented pace, and is provoking weather and climate extremes in every region across the globe, including in the Arctic, which is warming at more than twice the global rate;
  3. failure to address climate change is resulting in catastrophic consequences especially for Canadian youth, Indigenous Peoples and future generations; and
  4. climate change is negatively impacting the health and safety of Canadians, and the financial stability of Canada;

That the Senate declare that Canada is in a national climate emergency which requires that Canada uphold its international commitments with respect to climate change and increase its climate action in line with the Paris Agreement’s objective of holding global warming well below two degrees Celsius and pursuing efforts to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius; and

That the Senate commit to action on mitigation and adaptation in response to the climate emergency and that it consider this urgency for action while undertaking its parliamentary business.

 

Quote

“There is no denying that we are in a state of climate emergency. Every region of the country is affected by climate change, and particularly British Columbia which is suffering through a catastrophic year of extremes, from forest fires and record heatwaves to the current floods and landslides. These events have razed cities to the ground and left so many Canadians with nothing. The Senate should show solidarity with Canadians by acknowledging the climate emergency. Although this motion is symbolic, I hope this will be a first of many climate actions the Senate will undertake in the 44th Parliament.”

– Senator Rosa Galvez

 

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For more information please contact:

Stéphane Laviolette, Political Strategic Advisor and Office Manager

Office of Senator Rosa Galvez

613-996-2210 | Stephane.Laviolette@sen.parl.gc.ca

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