An environmental protester interrupted Question Time in the House of Commons on Wednesday to strongly express his concerns about the state of the planet.
“Mr. President!” he shouted from the public pews above the elected officials, who turned their heads in amazement to see where the noise was coming from.
“As this House makes politics, Canadian citizens are being ravaged by floods, wildfires, massive storms and deadly heat waves, symptoms of ecosystem collapse,” he said.
House Speaker Anthony Rota ordered a pause in planned exchanges between Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre. “Our planet is dying before our eyes!” The man continued, lamenting Canada’s “not realizing its tremendous potential as a global leader in green transition.”
The protester disrupted order for nearly two minutes before being escorted out of the House of Commons and Parliament.
The event shaped further exchanges between liberals and conservatives, who returned to the charge against the carbon tax, the flagship measure of the Trudeau government.
For conservatives, the carbon tax is adding “fuel to the fire” of inflation, making life more expensive not only for farmers but for Canadians in general.
Bill Blair, the Secretary of State for Emergency Preparedness, mentioned that there were 209 active fires in Alberta at the time of the House of Representatives session, including 77 out of control.
“I’ve spoken to people in Calgary who say they can’t breathe because of the wildfires in northern Alberta,” Environment Secretary Steven Guilbeault said. How is the Conservative Party reacting? Release the pollution,” he said.
The chairman of the House of Representatives, Mark Holland, also did not mince his words.
“[Les conservateurs] We do not see extreme weather events as an existential threat to this planet. They think they can bury their heads in the sand, forget climate change exists and think there will be an economy for the people,” he said.
“Mr President, if we want a planet, we have to act,” added Mark Holland, who seemed to echo the protester’s remarks.