Image Credit: Facebook and CFJC Today

By Ashley Legassic

FEDERAL ELECTION

Local candidates weigh in on Elections Canada climate change ruling

Aug 22, 2019 | 8:32 AM

KAMLOOPS — Earlier this week, there was a public uproar over whether advertisements regarding climate change should be subject to Elections Canada rules.

Elections Canada warned environmental groups that launching campaigns on the perils of climate change during the fall federal vote could potentially require them to register as third-party advertisers.

On Tuesday, Elections Canada issued a statement explaining the legislation doesn’t prevent anyone from discussing issues.

If groups spend $500 or more on those ads, they would need to register as a third-party with Elections Canada.

Elections Canada said that the policy on issue-based advertising “leads to increased transparency” and only applies in cases where the issue is “clearly associated with a candidate or party.”

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Here’s what the Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo candidates had to say about the issue.

Editor’s Note: Communist Party of Canada candidate Peter Kerek did not respond to a request for comment. The NDP has not yet named a replacement nominee after the resignation of Gina Myhill-Jones.

Image Credit: CFJC Today

Iain Currie, Green Party candidate

Currie says Elections Canada has no place in regulating conversation around facts. He says the legislation would have made some sense in years past when there was some doubt in people’s minds about climate change.

“I think the times have changed faster than Elections Canada,” Currie says. “The rules haven’t changed in a good long time, I understand it’s been about the same for about 20 years, but we now have a different understanding of the truth, we used to talk about global warming, so there was one point where I was giving lectures about global warming and the idea was to convince people, but we’ve moved beyond that as a society and as a country.”

Currie says he understands how the rules may have been interpreted five or 10 years ago, but believes they need to be updated.

He adds the Green Party’s mission is to bring people together across the political spectrum for real action on climate change.

Here’s the Green Party’s platform on climate change.

Image Credit: CFJC Today

Cathy McLeod, Conservative MP

McLeod says the issue at hand has come about because of “sloppy legislation” by the federal Liberals.

She adds that Elections Canada has a responsibility to interpret legislation as it’s passed by parliament.

“They have had an interpretation around what groups can and can’t do and when something is considered third-party advertising,” she says. “So I think essentially this confusion is a product of what I’ve found over the last four years, sloppiness in the Liberal legislation.”

McLeod says environmental groups should certainly be allowed to run advertising on climate change, but the legislation needs to be followed.

She says although the existence of climate change is not a partisan issue, how each party plans to deal with it is.

Here’s the Conservative Party of Canada’s climate plan.

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Ken Finlayson, People’s Party of Canada candidate

Finlayson says he and his party reject the theory of “man-made CO₂ causing global warming,” but believes this legislation restricts free speech.

“Well I think it’s kind of a sweet irony that, you know, these Chicken Littles that are climate alarmists find themselves being defended, find their right to free speech being defended by the only party in Canada that rejects this theory of man-made CO₂ causing global warming,” Finlayson says.

Finlayson says humans certainly have an impact on the climate, but believes climate change is caused by other pollutants like nitrous oxide.

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, nitrous oxide makes up six per cent of greenhouse gas emissions, compared to carbon dioxide making up 82 per cent.

Here’s the People’s Party of Canada platform on climate change.

Image Credit: CFJC Today

Terry Lake, Liberal Party candidate

Lake says his concern about the legislation is that it could sound like man-made climate change is still debatable.

“When the vast majority of scientists and Canadians believe it’s a settled question that in fact man is influencing the climate in a negative way,” Lake says. “But when I listen to them explain this ruling it doesn’t appear to be a change, I just think it’s getting more focus this year than it has in past years.”

Lake emphasizes it doesn’t mean organizations can’t talk about the issue.

“I was very concerned at the beginning, after listening to the explanation I’m less concerned.”

Lake believes climate change is a partisan issue when it comes to how to tackle it.

Here`s the Liberal party`s platform on climate change.

— With files from Global News.