Halifax candidates face-off in climate debate

Some of the candidates in the Halifax riding took to the stage last week in a climate-focused debate, a central issue in this upcoming federal election.

The Ecology Action Centre invited those running for the major parties to the discussion that took place on Wednesday, Sept. 8 as part of its 100 Debates on the Environment initiative.

Liberal incumbent Andy Fillmore, the NDP's Lisa Roberts and the Green Party's Jo-Ann Roberts all attended. Conservative candidate Cameron Ells was not able to attend due to a scheduling conflict.

Fillmore won the riding in 2015, when a Liberal red wave swept up every seat in Atlantic Canada, and was re-elected in 2019.

He used his opening speech to talk about the damage in Herring Cove from Hurricane Dorian in 2019, calling it a “red alert.”

Fillmore then listed what he considers his party's climate-related achievements including pricing carbon pollution, phasing out coal and investing in renewables, also highlighting his own record.

“I led Canada's first ever National Active Transportation Strategy, and when Halifax was seeking federal funding to purchase new diesel buses, I intervened and redirected the funding to electrify those buses,” he outlined.

Fillmore added he felt that if a Conservative government was elected, that progress would be halted. However historically, the Halifax riding that has not shown a strong turnout for the Conservatives, who received about 10 per cent of the vote in 2019, with support even lower in 2015. 

NDP candidate Lisa Roberts — who served the area as a provincial MLA before pursuing a career in federal politics — accused Fillmore of campaigning on a strategic vote rather than his own platform. 

“If we aren’t voting out of fear, maybe you can stop campaigning against the straw-man of a Conservative MP who didn’t even show up at this debate,” Lisa Roberts said, “because in Halifax this isn’t a likely outcome, and neither is a Liberal minority.”

She noted that Canada is the only G7 country whose carbon emissions have increased each year since 2016.

Green candidate Jo-Ann Roberts — who both unsuccessfully ran in last month’s provincial election and served as interim leader of the federal Green Party after Elizabeth May stepped down — mentioned the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report in her opening statement and reiterated her party’s commitment to combating the climate crisis.

Asked about ending all government subsidies for fossil fuels and a ban on any new fossil fuel projects, each candidate said they were in favour — with the timeline being the central issue.

While Fillmore committed to ending subsidies by 2023, Jo-Ann Roberts called into question the Liberal Party's record on climate change after buying a pipeline, noting “investing in fossil fuels is investing in dinosaurs.”

The NDP, according to Lisa Roberts, is looking at ways to make legislation untouchable, to prevent future governments from rolling back necessary climate targets.

“We would be in a better position now facing this crisis had the government not, in so many instances over so many years, propped up this industry,” she said.

When Fillmore, a former city planner, touted his progress on active transportation, Jo-Ann Roberts shot back: “Thanks for the buses, but wouldn’t have been better if you couldn't buy buses with a diesel engine?”

“That's why we're calling for the ban of all internal combustion engine passenger vehicles by 2030, then moving on to commercial vehicles,” she added.

She compared the prompt pandemic response from all levels of government, wondering what Canadians could achieve if we approached the climate crisis with the same sense of urgency.

Jo-Ann Roberts admitted her party won't form government, but urged voters to make her their “climate watchdog” on Parliament Hill.

Author and Halifax Examiner reporter Joan Baxter served as moderator for the event, which was hosted by the Ummah Masjid And Community Center. Candidates debated in person, while audiences watched virtually on a live stream that remains available here.