The Green party candidate for Steveston-Richmond East, Francoise Raunet, isn’t surprised former leader of the B.C. Greens, Andrew Weaver, supports the Liberal climate action plan.
On Tuesday morning, Weaver, who is a climate scientist, was in Steveston with Justin Trudeau to endorse the Liberal plan, calling it “credible.”
Raunet called Weaver a “business as usual politician” who wants to make changes within the current economic structure.
“But the problem is our current economic structure is fundamentally flawed,” Raunet said. “Because, by pursuing GDP growth and increased consumption, basically what we’re doing is we’re using the planet’s resources at a completely unsustainable rate for the benefit of a very few people.”
Weaver told the Richmond News he couldn’t back the Green climate plan because it doesn’t have costing.
“The only credible, costed… climate plan that exists at any of the four parties is the Liberals’,” Weaver said.
He said he’s not sure the Green party has thought through their plan, adding one can’t set targets without saying it will be done.
“To talk about 60-per-cent reduction by 2030 without actually a costed plan and policy measures how you’ll actually get there is not something I’m willing to support,” he said.
Weaver targeted his criticism on other parties’ climate plans as well, claiming the Conservative plan would “take us back” from commitments already made. Furthermore, its plan to allow Canadians to have personal carbon saving accounts would create bureaucracy that would be “mind-boggling,” he added.
Weaver even criticized the BC NDP climate plan as “virtue signalling,” saying it’s “lots of words” but doesn’t have a financial plan.
“There’s no substance to it or cost,” he said.
When Weaver was the leader of the B.C. Greens, his party was in a power-sharing agreement to keep the BC NDP in power until the latter received a majority government in last fall’s election.
Weaver said he was particularly impressed by the Liberals’ plan to ban thermal coal exports.
“That is huge from a climate perspective… and I’m very impressed by that,” he said.
In response to a question from the News about port expansion, Trudeau said there are “real concerns around environmental impacts” of the port.
“We’re going to be there – we’re going to be there as a partner to make sure we’re doing things right,” Trudeau said.
Trudeau was also joined at the event by Richmond Centre Liberal candidate Wilson Miao and Steveston-Richmond East candidate Parm Bains.
The federal election takes place Monday, Sept. 20.
