YOUTH

Natalie Ditty is in her second year at McGill University, where she is working toward a B.Sc. in Environmental Science with a concentration in Renewable Resource Management. In high school, she was a member of the SDSS Eco-Club, where she and other members organized and participated in protests, community outreach events, and school environmental initiatives. She was also head of Eco-Club’s “Seeking Sustainability” writing team for the Stratford Times and a co-leader of the Forestry Action Team from 2022 to 2024.

Camille Ditty is in her third year at Carleton University working toward a B.Sc. Honours in Environmental Science with a minor in Indigenous Studies. She was involved with starting the SDSS Eco-Club and was a member throughout high school and was the high school student representative in Climate Momentum. In university, she is involved with the Environmental Science Student’s Association.

Don’t give up in your efforts against Bill 5

Lazy, unengaged, unmotivated—these are all words I’ve heard used to describe people in my generation. We’ve also been told that we are the last generation – the last generation with a chance to undo the wrongs of the past, to reverse climate change. Imagine how that feels. So much weight falls on the shoulders of a generation, yet only about half currently have the right to vote for the governments that control our future.

So now, imagine how we feel when the government, which is supposed to be making decisions with our best interests in mind, passes a bill which practically guarantees that our future is going to be destroyed.

• Bill 5 will allow this government to plough over forested areas. Forests provide life; they provide the very thing that keeps humans alive, oxygen. On average, a human cannot survive without oxygen for more than three minutes.
• Bill 5 will allow the government to eliminate protected areas containing critical habitats such as wetlands. Wetlands play a crucial role in filtering fresh water. Humans cannot survive an average of more than three days without water.
• Bill 5 will allow the government to pave over agricultural areas. This land took millennia to develop and has the ability to grow food. Humans cannot survive an average of more than three weeks without food.
• Bill 5 allows the government to essentially ignore endangered species by altering the Endangered Species Act itself to make it significantly weaker through changing the definition of habitat to be defined as the direct dwelling place of animal species, and for plants, the critical root zone. This is not a habitat, and this is not a sustainable way for any species to live.

These actions will further amplify issues such as ecosystem collapse, food affordability, and access to clean air and safe drinking water. Why should I be motivated about “engaging in my future” when the basic things humans need to survive are being paved over for short-term economic benefit? How is it fair to be told that you need to solve the social justice issue of climate change as you watch the older generations do the exact opposite?

I chose to go to university for environmental science because I wanted to be a part of the solution. I knew I wouldn’t feel justified living my life ignoring the very real and current issues that are only going to get exponentially worse in the future if we do nothing about them now. Yet, the people who have the power to make impactful changes that will help solve these issues right now are not only doing very little to aid this cause, but they are actively making decisions that will harm the future I am working so hard to save. This government’s way of thinking—only looking ahead to the end of their current term—is deeply insufficient for ensuring that I will have a safe, livable future only 10 years from now. By then, I won’t even have reached my thirties.

Alongside this oversight, the government is completely ignoring the rights of the Indigenous peoples who have lived on the land they now wish to exploit for far, far longer than this government has been in power. If the government is truly committed to working towards reconciliation, they must work with Indigenous peoples, rather than against them, as they are doing with this bill. So now, when Indigenous groups are explicitly saying that Bill 5 is a bad idea, I believe we have an obligation to listen to them.
As an environmental science student, people often say to me, “So, you are going to save the world?” which is my least favourite phrase. No, I cannot save the world by myself. It will take everyone. We do not all have to carry the same load, but everyone needs to pitch in.

Even though Bill 5 has passed, it does not mean we should give up. There are many ways you can make an impact, such as calling or writing to your MPP. It only takes 30 minutes of your time—which is not a lot—considering that my whole future, and the future of every young Canadian, is on the line. Tell your MPP to repeal Bill 5.