Environment in spotlight on day 14 of election campaign

The environment is in the spotlight on day 14 of the election, while others are targeting small businesses.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is in Winnipeg to unveil the party’s climate change plan: “To electrify transportation, ending fossil fuel subsidies, ensuring that Indigenous communities are equal partners in making sure that we have a climate bank in place.”

He’s also promising to create 300,000 new green jobs, build an east-west electricity corridor, and make all public transit powered by electricity.

Singh is heading to his home riding of Burnaby South for a town hall Tuesday evening.

Liberal candidate and former environment minister Catherine McKenna is also promising action on climate change. She announced Tuesday a re-elected Liberal government would commit to net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

“It’s an ambitious target, that’s why we’re also pledging to appoint a group of experts to help us chart the path to a net-zero future,” she said.

“It means significantly reducing emissions across our economy and in how we live our lives.”

The promise is similar to a pledge made by 65 other countries at the UN Climate Summit. The Liberals are also promising to pass legislation to help businesses and workers make the transition to clean energy.

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau was in the Lower Mainland revealing the party’s full climate action plan Tuesday morning.

Not to be outdone, Green Leader Elizabeth May is on the East Coast promising to make Canada Post buy electric vehicles for its fleet. She’s in the region promising to support people living in remote and rural areas.

Meantime, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer didn’t speak about the environment. Instead, he was in a key election battleground in southwestern Ontario, focused on supports for small businesses.

“We’ll start by repealing Trudeau’s tax increases, and restoring small business deductions on passive investments.”

Scheer says his party will cut ‘red tape’ by 25 per cent: “The rats nest of policies and processes that bog down businesses and slow growth.”

He’s also promising create a simple ‘how to’ guide to help owners navigate the tax system.

– With files from the Canadian Press

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