Greens hopeful about Canadian election

Canadians’ decision to elect a new majority in its Parliament is giving environmentalists hope that the country will dial back its support for the oil industry.

The election replaced Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his Conservative Party with Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party.

{mosads}And although Trudeau supports Alberta’s oil sands and the Keystone XL pipeline, like Harper, greens still have hope that things will change, multiple groups said in a joint statement.

“Justin Trudeau’s victory shows that the Canadian people are no longer willing to rely on 19th century energy ideas to fuel their economy,” Lena Moffitt, director of the Stop Dirty Fuels campaign at the Sierra Club, said in a statement.

“Canada can now move on from short-sighted economic policies, failed commitments on climate change, and a weak climate promise that lags behind the rest of the world and re-engage with the world on building a clean energy future.”

Anthony Swift, Canada Project Director at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said Trudeau and the Liberals have “an unprecedented opportunity to move Canada away from the dirty fuels of the past and toward a clean energy future that will bring jobs, prosperity and security for all Canadians.”

The environment consistently ranked as a top concern of Canadians voting in the election, and Trudeau ran on a promise to take climate change more seriously. But the Liberals have not committed to ramping up Canada’s pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Still, taking Harper out of power means a lot for opponents of Keystone XL and other oil industry priorities.

“Turns out when you say anything to shove a risky tar sands pipe through folks’ land and water, you lose everything,” said Jane Kleeb, executive director of anti-Keystone group Bold Nebraska.