OTTAWA, September 20, 2023 – In preparation for the Senate’s return, the independent Progressive Senate Group (PSG) hosted an expert panel to gain a deeper understanding of the climate change crisis. “The urgency of addressing the climate change crisis has never been clearer,” said Senator Margaret Dawn Anderson, Senator for the Northwest Territories and steering member of the Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources.

Progressive senators heard from Janna Wale, Policy Advisor for Indigenous Partnerships & Research at the Canadian Climate Institute; Kathryn Harrison, Professor of Political Science, specializing in climate change policy, at the University of British Columbia; and Sabine Dietz, PhD, Executive Director of CLIMAtlantic. Their comments and suggestions will help generate ideas and guide thorough analysis of any government-proposed legislative measures to address the climate change crisis.

Yesterday in the Senate chamber, Senator Anderson spoke about the unprecedented devastation in the Northwest Territories from wildfires, noting that they “have released 97 megatonnes of carbon into the atmosphere this year, 277 times more than the emissions caused by human activities in the territory in 2021.” She explained that “the driving force behind these wildfires has been the extraordinary combination of long-lasting dry and scorching temperatures—a clear and unmistakable indication of the effects of climate change.”

The Progressive Senate Group is a group of independent senators committed to a reformed Senate, equality amongst senators, Charter values, diversity, reconciliation, climate action, and policies directed towards sustainable, inclusive, and shared prosperity in Canada. Their philosophy is inspired by “Mamidosewin,” the Algonquin/Ojibwe word for “Meeting place” or “Walking together.”

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For more information
Heather Forsyth
Director of Communications
Leader of the Progressive Senate Group, Senator Jane Cordy
63-371-1254
heather.forsyth@sen.parl.gc.ca