Personal Letter to Premier Doug Ford on Climate Change
During the 2018 Ontario election campaign Progressive Conservative Party leader Doug Ford promised to dismantle the Liberal government’s climate change strategy (https://www.ontariopc.ca/plan_for_the_people). Following his win in the June 2018 election, Ford has done exactly that, eliminating the province’s cap and trade program to limit greenhouse gas emissions and terminating the GreenON funding programs for everything from building energy efficiency improvements to electric vehicles. In December 2018 the Ford government released its own environment and climate change plan (https://www.ontario.ca/page/made-in-ontario-environment-plan). Your assignment is to write a personal letter to the Premier assessing the adequacy of Mr. Ford’s climate change plan. It is enough to ensure that Ontario meets its climate change targets and contributes to Canada meeting its obligations under the Paris Climate Change Accord? Does it present a credible plan of action to reduce emissions? If so why? If not, make an argument to Premier Ford to adopt a more ambitious strategy. What might such a strategy include? Think about environmental, economic and political dimensions of the issue that might provide the foundation for a compelling case for action to Mr. Ford. Evaluation Papers will be evaluated in terms of 4 Criteria:
• Research. Your paper should reflect a good understanding of the environmental, economic, and political issues around climate change in Ontario and in the 2018 provincial election. You then need to examine subsequent statements and actions by Mr. Ford’s government on the issue. The course readings provide a starting point on some of these issues, but you should go beyond them in your research. Be sure to go beyond the Ontario government’s own statements, and to look for comments and analyses that may be critical of the government’s approach and performance. • Analysis and Critical Thinking. You will need to assess what actions the Ford government has taken so far, and what has it committed to do on climate change. Does it appear to take the climate change issue seriously? Are the measures it proposes to take adequate to address the problem? What sorts of arguments (environmental, economic or political) might convince Mr. Ford to adopt a more am
