Cortes Currents was in attendance at the March 12 “Just Transition Day of Action” event in Campbell River.

Approximately 25 people attended the event, promoted and inspired by the international climate organization 350.org and hosted locally by the Campbell River Chapter of Council of Canadians, a national justice, democracy and human survival organization.

The event was facilitated by Rich Hagensen from the Council of Canadians. He began his presentation by acknowledging the traditional territories of local first nations.

Hagensen then indicated that he had a box full of election promises made by Justin Trudeau. He pulled out a folder call ‘Just Transition Act’ and pointed out the folder was empty. The federal government has not yet fulfilled its 2019 election promise to write the Act.

There was a petition circulated at the event that listed the demands of the demonstrators. It read:

“Canada must address the climate emergency NOW! NOW is the time to call on the Prime Minister and Government of Canada to pass a just transition act in parliament that:

• winds down the fossil fuel industry and ends fossil fuel subsidies
  
• creates good green jobs led by and including affected workers and communities
  
• expands the social safety net through new income supports, decarbonized public housing and funding for affordable and accessible public transit
  
• expands public ownership of services and utilities
  
• reduces emissions by at least 60% below 2005 levels
  
• pays for the transition by increasing taxes on the wealthiest and corporations and financing with a public national bank
  
• protects and strengthens human and worker rights and respects indigenous rights, sovereignty and knowledge by including them in creating and implementing the legislation”

Presenters from the Council of Canadians read out the Just Transition Act demands and discussed the important role of government in transitioning to a clean and green economy.

Rachel Blaney, member of parliament for North-Island/Powell River, then spoke to the crowd expressing support for the demands.

She stressed the importance of a local approach to the transition and ensuring that people have jobs in the new green economy.

Blaney has presented similar requests to the Liberal government in the past. In November 2020, she introduced a private member’s motion that called for principles for pandemic recovery spending that included equitable distribution, supporting the United Nations Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the prioritization of projects that sequester or mitigate carbon emissions and the storage of ground water, and the prioritization of projects that support local small business and economic diversification.

350.org Day of Action events were held across the country, in 47 communities.

Cortes Currents reached Chris Hayduk, a participant at the event, for his reflections.

Hayduk remarked that his expectations were exceeded – he thought that the event was going to try to impress upon people the importance of climate change – but it was a step beyond that, taking climate change as a given. He appreciated that the effort was to support people through the necessary transition.

He pointed out that alleviating people’s concerns that their livelihoods are going to be taken away, may make more space for them accepting the challenge of climate change. He added that taking the climate emergency seriously is going to require that “we all take a hit to our standard of living”.

Hayduk said that it seemed like Rachel Blaney agreed with the demands of the demonstrators. He also learned from listening to Blaney that she needs the support of her constituents to bring efforts forward in parliament – that means letters and petitions.

Hayduk also wishes there were more details available, “don’t say we need a transition plan, make a transition plan”.

Was there a sense of emergency at the event? Hayduk mentioned he saw signs that indicated a sense of urgency, like “Treat climate like Covid”. But in general, everyone was comfortable and stayed only for an hour – and an emergency feeling would look differently.

In a final reflection, Hayduk was pleased to report that although he felt that he was “dragging” his doughter to join him for the event, she was glad she went and said that the experience inspired her to take the next step in getting involved in her school green committee.

Cortes Currents also reached Murray Etty from the Council of Canadians for his take on the Day of Action.

Etty was pleased with the number of people he saw at the event, saying it was many more than he expected. The Council of Canadians issued a press release to promote the event in the Campbell River Mirror, but they declined to print it.

(Editor’s note: On March 12 the Campbell River Mirror reprinted coverage of the Climate Emergency Coalition’s press conference, calling for a Just Transition Act, in Vancouver.)

The event was put in context by Etty. He said that the IPCC has given us deadlines and warnings and we are truly running out of time – the Council of Canadians feels that we are in an emergency.

In reflecting on Blaney’s presentation, Etty says that there is no question that she’s concerned about climate change, but that she didn’t talk about climate change perse, “she also has local issues that she has to deal with”.

We asked Etty if a just transition was promising to deliver equivalently high-paying jobs as they are asked to transition away from fossil fuels. “I think oil and gas workers are going to have to settle for something a little less than what they’ve been getting”, he said.

Asked about whether he would support the use of empty homes to house transitioning workers – he said he would, “I know how costly homes are here, both to buy and to rent.

This post was originally published on March 15 and reposted March 18 for the Saturday Round-up.

Top photo credit: Rich Hagensen holds the mic for Murray Etty – Photo courtesy Campbell River chapter, Council of Canadians

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