BC Liberal leader distances himself, the party from MLA under fire for 'climate denial'
The BC Liberal leader is disavowing a party MLA for a post on social media denying that carbon dioxide is driving human-caused climate change.
John Rustad, who represents Nechako Lakes and has been the opposition critic for forest, lands, and natural resource operations, came under fire from Kevin Falcon Wednesday.
"Let me be clear, climate change is one of the most critical threats facing our future. The BC Liberals are strongly committed to substantive climate action and restoring BC's place as a world leader in climate policy. John Rustad does not speak on behalf of caucus on this issue," Falcon tweeted.
Rustad's post cited Patrick Moore, a director of a group called the CO2 Coalition and a vocal critic of the environmental movement. In part, the post read, "the case for CO2 being the control knob of global temperature gets weaker every day." It ended with #CelebrateCO2.
Moore once worked for Greenpeace, but is now often described as a climate change denier. He wrote a book called "Confessions of a Greenpeace Dropout," accuses his former colleagues of inventing "gloom and doom scenarios" about climate change and of abandoning logic "in favour of emotion and sensationalism."
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, emissions of greenhouse gases – including carbon dioxide – are driving the global crisis, leading to more wildfires, more frequent extreme weather events and other costly catastrophes.
The BC NDP's minister of environment and climate change also called out the post.
"John Rustad’s trail of climate denial is long, repeated and out of step with the challenges British Columbians have faced from wildfire, extreme heat, flooding, and water shortages," George Heyman wrote on Twitter.
Last year, Heyman posted a video saying that Rustad "refused to say that he believed climate change is real, and refused to say it was caused by human activity." At that time he was demanding that Shirley Bond, the interim leader, press Rustad to clarify his position – saying that if the party did not take a stand it would show the BC Liberals "have lots of room for climate change deniers."
Heyman was responding to comments made in the legislature specifically about carbon dioxide.
"Carbon dioxide was referred to as a pollution," Rustad said in April of that year.
"Now, I’m sorry. I get what the language and the rhetoric is. Carbon dioxide is an essential component of life on this planet. It is not a pollution. That sort of misinformation out there is just ridiculous."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.