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<\/p>\nNGOs and unions call for $41-billion green investment fund<\/p>\n
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Ottawa —<\/span>A powerful coalition of major environmental groups, big unions, scientists, business people and citizens is challenging Stephen Harper to invest up to $41 billion<\/a> in green energy and infrastructure energy efficiency updates in this month’s budget.<\/p>\n The coalition, which claims to represent more than 850,000 Canadians, includes environmental NGOs Environmental Defence<\/a>, the Pembina Institute<\/a> and ForestEthics<\/a>, as well as the industrial Forest Products Association of Canada<\/a>.<\/p>\n Supporting scientists include leading climatologist Dr. Andrew Weaver<\/a> of UVic, and University of Waterloo’s Centre for Environment and Business professor Dr. Thomas Homer-Dixon<\/a>.<\/p>\n The value of a ‘green’ budget received another powerful boost this week when four former prime ministers — Kim Campbell, Joe Clark, Paul Martin and John Turner — called for a “green stimulus”<\/a> in the budget. Green Party leader Elizabeth May also chimed in belatedly. She wants Canada to adopt recently-installed US president Obama’s environmental vision and invest in a Green New Deal<\/a> for Canada.<\/p>\n Environmental regulations to be slashed?<\/p>\n The PowerUp<\/a> coalition’s call for a Green Economy Action Fund<\/a> came just before this week’s accusation by the NDP that the Conservatives are planning to quietly gut<\/a> Canada’s environmental regulations.<\/p>\n The NDP caucus claims to have a leaked copy of draft regulations that would stop environmental assessments<\/a> on any project on federal lands or worth less than $10 million. They would also enable provincial governments to circumvent environmental regulations on request.<\/p>\n New Democrats believe that the Conservative are using the global financial crisis as an excuse to undermine the foundations of the Environmental Assessment Act<\/a>, brought in by Progressive Conservative prime minister Brian Mulroney in 1992.<\/p>\n![\"PowerUp](\"http:\/\/blogs.stuzog.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/5\/images\/powerup_logo_180x90.jpg\"){kind=logo}
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