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Ottawa, March 22, 2011 – Equiterre was profoundly disappointed with the few environmental measures that were part of the 2011 federal budget.
The federal government has ended many programs that were both popular and essential, including those encouraging the production of renewable energies, the construction of energy efficient buildings and houses and the development of clean technologies.
The decision to offer the very popular ecoENERGY retrofit program for one more year would seem to be dictated more by politics than by a concern for the environment. The Green Budget Coalition, a group representing environmental groups from across Canada, had recommended running the program for longer to ensure predictability.
“The tendency of the Harper government to twist the truth seems to have manifested itself once more with talk of ‘eliminating’ fossil fuel subsidies starting with $15 million this year and $30 million next year.” According to figures provided by the International Institute for Sustainable Development, the current tax breaks and subsidies equal about $1.4 billion a year. “We’re eliminating nothing here. In fact, at this rate, we will eliminate those subsidies in 2109!” said Steven Guilbeault of Equiterre.
“It seems like year after year, the Harper government is outdoing itself in terms of neglecting environmental protection and the green economy,” added Guilbeault.
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Source :
Éveline Trudel-Fugère
Équiterre
514-605-2000
etfugere@equiterre.org
