After weeks of hard work and hope, it’s finally over. That was a rollercoaster of a campaign and of an election night – and I’m honestly still processing yesterday’s results.
First and most importantly, in part due to all of your hard work, we avoided a Conservative win.
Just months ago, a Poilievre majority, which would have spelled disaster for our planet, our public services, and communities across the country, seemed inevitable. Pierre’s defeat is a relief at a time when the far right is on the rise globally – he couldn’t even hold his own seat in Carleton.
It was alarming, though, to see the Conservatives gain ground in so many parts of the country and win their highest vote share since 1988. Many Canadians are still getting played by Pierre – so our work is far from done.
Heartbreakingly, we also lost many solid progressive voices in Parliament. Despite the hard work that many of you put in at the local level, vote splitting and our first past the post electoral system cost some of our strongest allies their seats.
In an election profoundly shaped by economic anxiety and the return of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency, Carney’s Liberals pulled ahead. Last night, Prime Minister Carney said that ”we will need to do things previously thought impossible at speeds we haven’t seen in generations.” And it’s up to us to help shape what direction he takes the country in during this moment of crisis.
Canada has spent too long talking a big game about clean energy and climate action while propping up the fossil fuel industry. That approach has wasted time, public money, and public trust. Carney faces a choice: entrench the status quo or lead Canada into a new era. His legacy will be judged by whether or not he puts people, communities, and the planet ahead of fossil fuel CEOs.
Carney will be forming a minority government – and without a strong progressive flank in Parliament, sustained public pressure will be all the more important to ensure he delivers the decisive climate action we need. We successfully pushed the Liberals to include an east-west energy grid in their platform during this election, and now we need to ensure that Carney delivers on this promise in a way that puts workers and the climate first.
We owe it to ourselves, to each other, and to the next generation to stay hopeful and stay engaged. It’s our job to ensure that the new government prioritizes strong climate policy and renewable energy as part of building a stronger and more resilient Canada.
So take some time this week to rest up and breathe a sigh of relief that Pierre Poilievre will not be Canada’s next PM. Next week we’ll be in touch about how you can help us push Prime Minister Carney to meet this moment.
Onwards,
Amara