Feedback on the EngageMB Survey | Roadmap to Net-Zero

Manitoba Eco-Network submitted feedback in response to the EngageMB public consultation on Manitoba’s Roadmap to Net-Zero. Members of the MbEN team were also present at the recent session held by the Expert Advisory Council to present preliminary work on the roadmap to Net-Zero policy.

“…The Manitoba Eco-Network believes that to truly affect meaningful change, policy should be built from the ground up. Our work over the last four decades has strived to include the voices of everyday Manitobans and support the initiatives that benefit them directly.”

“…As an organization that focuses on supporting grassroots efforts and community-led climate initiatives, MbEN is concerned that the Government of Manitoba’s approach to addressing climate change is too narrowly focused, siloed, and lacking meaningful opportunities for public engagement. While there are valid goals and potential solutions captured in the EngageMB survey, it remains unclear where Manitoba’s Roadmap to Net-Zero fits within the provincial climate response. If this is the Government of Manitoba’s only intended regulatory response to the climate emergency, it is woefully inadequate.

MbEN also has concerns with the seeming lack of meaningful engagement with Indigenous peoples or mention of the role of Indigenous partners in the Government’s proposed approach to achieving Net-Zero. There is also no recognition of the past and ongoing harms disproportionately experienced by Indigenous rights-holders in Manitoba as a result of large-scale “clean” energy developments and associated infrastructure on which the proposed Policy will rely. This directly conflicts with recent public announcements made by the Government of Manitoba about partnerships with Indigenous nations for new energy projects and Canadian legal commitments to the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.”

To read our full response, you can find it on our website here.

Manitoba’s Net-Zero policy is expected to be released in the next month.

Manitoba Eco-Network will endeavour to respond to the final plan as well once released.

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