• About
    • Which Energy Mix is this?
  • Climate News Network Archive
  • Contact
The climate news that makes a difference.
No Result
View All Result
The Energy Mix
  • Canada
  • UK & Europe
  • Fossil Fuels
  • Ending Emissions
  • Community Climate Finance
  • Clean Electricity Grid
  • Cities & Communities
SUBSCRIBE
DONATE
  • Canada
  • UK & Europe
  • Fossil Fuels
  • Ending Emissions
  • Community Climate Finance
  • Clean Electricity Grid
  • Cities & Communities
SUBSCRIBE
DONATE
No Result
View All Result
The Energy Mix
No Result
View All Result
  • Canada
  • UK & Europe
  • Fossil Fuels
  • Ending Emissions
  • Community Climate Finance
  • Clean Electricity Grid
  • Cities & Communities
  FEATURED
Biden Approves $8B Oil Extraction Plan in Ecologically Sensitive Alaska March 14, 2023
U.S. Solar Developers Scramble after Silicon Valley Bank Collapse March 14, 2023
$30.9B Price Tag Makes Trans Mountain Pipeline a ‘Catastrophic Boondoggle’ March 14, 2023
UN Buys Tanker, But Funding Gap Could Scuttle Plan to Salvage Oil from ‘Floating Time Bomb’ March 9, 2023
Biden Cuts Fossil Subsidies, But Oil and Gas Still Lines Up for Billions March 9, 2023
Next
Prev

Ottawa Gets Applause, Pushback for Just Transition Consultation Plan

July 20, 2021
Reading time: 3 minutes
Primary Author: Compiled by The Energy Mix staff

Cjp24/Wikimedia Commons

Cjp24/Wikimedia Commons

3
SHARES
 

The federal government is getting mixed reviews after announcing an engagement process on a just, equitable transition for fossil fuel workers and communities, nearly two years after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised a federal Just Transition Act during the last round of electioneering in 2019.

“Workers in the natural resource sectors helped build this country,” Natural Resources Minister Seamus O’Regan, Jr. said in an online event Tuesday afternoon. “These same workers will build our low-carbon future. It is their skills, determination, and ingenuity that will get us to net-zero and ensure our continued prosperity. They won’t be left behind—they will lead the way.”

  • Concise headlines. Original content. Timely news and views from a select group of opinion leaders. Special extras.
  • Everything you need, nothing you don’t.
  • The Weekender: The climate news you need.
Subscribe

“Supporting a greener economy means providing workers with the skills training they need to get good-quality jobs, while supporting industry by building the much-needed capacity in these emerging sectors,” added Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough.

The announcement invites feedback on proposed just transition legislation, including “the development of just transition principles that would inform government decision-making and the creation of a Just Transition Advisory Body.”

350 Canada welcomed the announcement in an email to supporters. “This is huge,” wrote campaigner Atiya Jaffar, just hours after O’Regan’s and Qualtrough’s online session. “And it’s all thanks to the tens of thousands of people who spoke up and took action to demand a Just Transition Act.”

But Unifor National Representative Ken Bondy said trade union members are still a long way from victory on a just transition.

“The initiative to hold this consultation is welcome,” he told The Energy Mix. “Our frustration is that, despite providing us with seats at the table, more often than not the government makes its decisions and simply tells us how it’s going to be. We’re not willing to sit back and say we were allowed a voice, but then our concerns were not heard.”

He said Unifor is looking for a federal commitment to a just transition ministry that gives all stakeholders continued input on the process, “not just simply a piece of legislation”.

Bondy added that the announcement was tailor-made to produce a positive reaction—on the surface.

“There are organizations that would look at this announcement as extremely positive,” and cheer the government for taking action, he said. “If you’re representing workers, you know full well the frustration that nothing has been done” since 2019, “and we’re going to call them out on that.”

Iron & Earth Executive Director Luisa Da Silva said the federal news took her “by complete surprise”, but saw it echoing her organization’s survey results last week that showed more than two-thirds of fossil fuel workers interested in jobs in the net-zero economy—and looking for upskilling to make sure they aren’t left behind in the transition.

“I heard the Minister say the landscape has changed, and they’re hearing workers’ voices,” she said in an interview. “I don’t think it’s a coincidence that it’s coming off the back of Iron & Earth letting government know that workers want change, workers are ready for change, and workers are ready to power Canada’s energy future. They just need some upskilling.”

The challenge now is to “make sure the government delivers on what they’ve committed to, that they remain committed to making this an inclusive, just transition and bringing fossil fuel industry workers to the table,” Da Silva added. “These are the people who have been on the ground, who know what needs to happen,” and “have the skills and expertise to enable Canada to meet our energy future.”

Continue Reading



in Canada, Climate & Society, Coal, Ending Emissions, Fossil Fuels, Jobs & Training, Jurisdictions, Oil & Gas

The latest climate news and analysis, direct to your inbox

Subscribe

Related Posts

U.S. Bureau of Land Management/flickr
Oil & Gas

Biden Approves $8B Oil Extraction Plan in Ecologically Sensitive Alaska

March 14, 2023
36
David Dodge, Green Energy Futures/flickr
Community Climate Finance

U.S. Solar Developers Scramble after Silicon Valley Bank Collapse

March 14, 2023
54
EcoAnalytics
Media, Messaging, & Public Opinion

Canadians Want Strong Emissions Cap Regulations, Not More Missed Targets

March 14, 2023
47

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Trending Stories

Behrat/Wikimedia Commons

Hawaii Firm Turns Home Water Heaters into Grid Batteries

March 14, 2023
174
U.S. National Transportation Safety Board/flickr

$30.9B Price Tag Makes Trans Mountain Pipeline a ‘Catastrophic Boondoggle’

March 14, 2023
58
Rebecca Bollwitt/flickr

Fossils Stay ‘Oily’, Gibsons Sues Big Oil, U.S. Clean Energy Booms, EU Pushes Fossil Phaseout, and Fukushima Disaster was ‘No Accident’

March 14, 2023
56
David Dodge, Green Energy Futures/flickr

U.S. Solar Developers Scramble after Silicon Valley Bank Collapse

March 14, 2023
54
EcoAnalytics

Canadians Want Strong Emissions Cap Regulations, Not More Missed Targets

March 14, 2023
47
moerschy / Pixabay

Fringe Conspiracy Theories Target 15-Minute City Push in Edmonton, Toronto

February 22, 2023
1.6k

Recent Posts

U.S. Bureau of Land Management/flickr

Biden Approves $8B Oil Extraction Plan in Ecologically Sensitive Alaska

March 14, 2023
36
Raysonho/wikimedia commons

Purolator Pledges $1B to Electrify Last-Mile Delivery

March 14, 2023
27
United Nations

UN Buys Tanker, But Funding Gap Could Scuttle Plan to Salvage Oil from ‘Floating Time Bomb’

March 10, 2023
86
Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons

Biden Cuts Fossil Subsidies, But Oil and Gas Still Lines Up for Billions

March 10, 2023
159
jasonwoodhead23/flickr

First Nation Scorches Imperial Oil, Alberta Regulator Over Toxic Leak

March 8, 2023
360
MarcusObal/wikimedia commons

No Climate Risk Targets for Banks, New Guides for Green Finance as 2 Federal Agencies Issue New Rules

March 8, 2023
230
Next Post
Brian Robert Marshall/Geograph

Fossils’ Messaging Embraces Climate as Investors Shift to Renewables

The Energy Mix - The climate news you need

Copyright 2023 © Energy Mix Productions Inc. All rights reserved.

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy and Copyright
  • Cookie Policy

Proudly partnering with…

scf_withtagline
No Result
View All Result
  • Canada
  • UK & Europe
  • Fossil Fuels
  • Ending Emissions
  • Community Climate Finance
  • Clean Electricity Grid
  • Cities & Communities

Copyright 2022 © Smarter Shift Inc. and Energy Mix Productions Inc. All rights reserved.

Manage Cookie Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behaviour or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}