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Delegates to Unifor’s inaugural Prairie Regional Council endorsed a sustainable energy strategy for Canada that includes a commitment to limiting greenhouse gas emissions and a prohibition of raw bitumen exports in favour of domestic upgrading and processing.
“Workers in this industry want stable jobs, and they know that means sustainable business practices that respect the environment,” said Angela Adams, secretary-treasurer of Unifor Local 707A in Fort McMurray, Alberta.
“It is also vital that our resources be processed in Canada, instead of seeing the jobs exported along with the bitumen,” said Adams, who is also Energy Sector chair.
Like Adams, many council delegates came to the Winnipeg meeting from locals in the oil and gas industry.
The move comes just a few weeks after Unifor’s BC Regional Council also endorsed a national energy and environment strategy that calls for Canadian oil to be used for Canadian needs, while protecting the environment, introducing strict limits on greenhouse gas emissions and respect for First Nation rights.
“Naomi Klein reminded us at our founding convention how important and central the issue of greenhouse gas emissions is to everything we do,” Fred Wilson, Unifor’s director of strategic planning told the council.
The strategy also calls for a moratorium on “fracking” extraction of gas until safety, environmental, and First Nations’ concerns are fully addressed.
