Your role in keeping climate truth alive in Canada

Climate policy in Canada just got a lot more complicated. With the election of Donald Trump as President and Republicans winning control of both houses of Congress, the days of looking to America for environmental leadership are now behind us, at least temporarily. And with concerns about border security, immigration, and trade relationships now thrust to the top of our collective priority list, longer-term issues like climate change will lose mindshare among our political leaders. 

This is why we need your support now more than ever. Canada's National Observer has set an ambitious Winter 2024 fundraising goal to raise $150,000 by December 31 to ensure we can continue delivering the critical climate journalism Canada needs. Will you join us? Tax receipts are available for donations of $100+, see instructions at the end.

Indeed, Pierre Poilievre and Canada’s Conservatives are already aggressively courting the Trump regime, and would be more than happy to serve up our climate policies as a sacrifice to his bottomless vanity. It seems almost certain that Canada’s next federal election, whenever it happens, will result in either the wholesale elimination of our climate policies or a substantial dilution of their effect. 

In this moment, our journalism at Canada’s National Observer is more important than ever. We’ll stay focused on the climate dimensions of our evolving trade and security relationships, the broader global fight against climate change, and the opportunities being created by America’s backsliding. Make no mistake: the energy transition will continue, and may even accelerate in other parts of the world. Here in Canada, perhaps more than anywhere else on earth, we need to pay close attention to that. 

Albertans need to be reminded of what the stakes really are here, and why doubling down on fossil fuel production would be a ruinously stupid decision. Canadians need to be shown that there’s a world beyond Trumpism, and that we can and should participate in it. And it’s time for all of us to put our money where our mouths — and hearts — are. 

That’s especially true if a future Poilievre government eliminates the CBC and guts funding for journalism in Canada. We need robust news alternatives in place to fill the information deserts that would be created by Poilievre’s plans — deserts, it should be said, that would advance the Conservative Party of Canada’s interests. They want Canadians to rely more heavily on the far-right online news sources that have cropped up in recent years, whether it’s True North or The Rebel. Andrew Scheer said as much in the infamous speech he gave when he stepped down as CPC leader in 2019. 

We can’t rely on the mainstream media to keep Canadians informed about things like climate policy and the impacts of climate change. It may not even exist in a few years, and even if it does it will be utterly consumed with the circus unfolding down south. That’s where the money will be, after all. 

We can do better than that. Hell, we have to do better than that. Supporting Canada’s National Observer right now is an investment in all the things you care about, from a fact-based conversation about climate change to your children and grandchildren’s future. What’s that worth to you?