VANCOUVER—John Horgan will restore BC as a climate action leader with a plan that focuses on reducing climate changing emissions, not letting them increase like Christy Clark has.

“We can’t afford four more years of climate inaction from Christy Clark and the BC Liberals. The stakes are too high in this election,” said BC NDP leader John Horgan. “We have to come together to make sure we have a government that will take real action on climate change.”

Horgan held a town hall meeting with several members of the Climate Leadership Team who Christy Clark tasked with renewing BC’s climate action. Clark chose to reject the team’s recommendations despite their careful consideration of the impacts on people, the economy, industry and the environment.

After Christy Clark got her photo-op at the Paris climate summit, she ignored the Climate Leadership Team’s report for months, and then announced a plan that ignored their recommendations and will see emissions rise for the next decade.

“I am disappointed that Christy Clark broke her promise and chose to ignore the recommendations we put forward,” said panel member and prominent BC environmentalist Tzeporah Berman. “I’m encouraged that John Horgan and the BC NDP have committed to move forward with a strong plan that will reduce emissions. They’ve got my vote, and I look forward to working with them to restore BC’s climate action leadership.”

“Christy Clark has taken BC backwards on climate action, and backwards on protection our air, land and water,” said Horgan. “Climate changing emissions have been rising under Christy Clark’s watch, not falling. It’s time to come together to elect an NDP government that will change that.”

John Horgan and the BC NDP’s Clean Growth, Climate Action plan will reconvene a Climate Leadership Team within the first 100 days of forming a new government and work to implement their recommendations under a framework that follows five key principles:

• Principle #1 – Take measures to reduce carbon pollution, rather than let it continue to go up.
• Principle #2 – Bring in the federally mandated carbon price gradually and predictably.
• Principle #3 – Make it more affordable for families.
• Principle #4 – Invest in creating jobs, growing the economy and climate solutions.
• Principle #5 – Take a sector by sector approach to regulating carbon pollution reduction.

The full BC NDP plan Clean Growth, Climate Action is available here:https://www.bcndp.ca/files/Clean-Growth-Climate-Action.pdf