Kate McMahon: What mothers really want for Mother’s Day this year

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This Mother’s Day, I’m looking forward to spending time with my family. While we don’t all need a specific day to reflect on our role as a parent, Mother’s Day can be a moment to think about what it means to be a mother, and how we could be better supported as caregivers for our families and communities.

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These days, being a mother means a lot more than making school lunches and co-ordinating extracurriculars. As the climate crisis becomes a lived reality for families across the country, climate action is becoming an essential parenting skill. For mothers like us, that means adding community advocacy to our to-do list, and supporting our kids’ mental health as they navigate their own climate concerns, alongside all the other things we juggle every week.

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As we head into another hot, dry summer, with over 100 wildfires already burning in northern Alberta and B.C., we have a simple request for Mother’s Day: We want decision-makers to tackle the climate crisis head-on with the urgency it deserves. We want decisions and actions that will ensure a livable future for our kids.

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We know that many sectors are making good progress reducing their emissions, but the National Inventory Report, released last week, shows that pollution from the oil-and-gas sector is still the largest source of emissions and these continue to rise. Recent research shows that tar sands oil companies are releasing 1,900 to 6,300 per cent more emissions than they report. And continue to make huge profits, while everyday Canadians struggle with the cost of living.

The majority of Canadians want the government to hold these oil companies accountable for their emissions. Most Canadians support setting a limit on the emissions from the oil-and-gas industry, with 70 per cent agreeing that the government should stop letting companies delay policies to reduce their pollution, and 66 per cent saying Ottawa “should move quickly” on a policy to reduce oil-and-gas emissions.

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Other research shows that 62 per cent of Canadians support a windfall tax on oil-and-gas company profits. The recent federal budget failed to include a windfall tax, and the emissions’ cap framework introduced last fall has been criticized for being too weak to have the impact needed. The policy’s draft regulations were supposed to be released this spring, but have now been delayed to the fall.

Policies like these are crucial to protecting our kids’ futures, but as they are debated, delayed and weakened, we see our children’s futures darken. We are already seeing the increasing impacts of climate change on our communities each year. We know we can’t keep burning fossil fuels. While we do our best to take care of our kids, these companies are acting with impunity, putting their profits over our collective future.

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So what would be the best gift we could receive this Mother’s Day? Serious climate action that puts the most vulnerable and affected first, including kids. If the government wants to show their support for families, they should implement a strong emissions cap now without loopholes or delays. Like mothers across the country, I want to see bold action that aligns with keeping our kids healthy and safe.

Kate McMahon is a mother and member of the For Our Kids Burnaby parent-led climate group.

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