This week, the federal government is set to announce a multibillion-dollar bailout of the oil and gas sector.

We have a choice to make. We can respond to the COVID-19 crisis and oil price collapse by bailing out the industry fuelling the climate crisis, or we can seize this unprecedented moment to build an economy that puts workers and communities first. 

The past few weeks have exposed the enormous cracks that exist in our society. We’ve seen how underfunded our social services are, and how many people are one paycheque away from eviction. But instead of working to fill these gaps for the long-term, Justin Trudeau is choosing to hand billions to the fossil fuel industry.

We need to retool our economy to guarantee good, green jobs for every worker as we rebuild after the COVID-19 crisis. We can invest in our hospitals, schools, and daycare centres, and support fossil fuel workers through the transition to a zero-carbon economy.

But to do this, we need Justin Trudeau and Bill Morneau to get their priorities straight.

That’s why we’re calling on Justin Trudeau and his government to get to work on the most ambitious version possible of their promised Just Transition Act. That means not only filling the gaps that have been laid bare by COVID-19, but ensuring that every person who wants one has a good job to return to once this crisis subsides. 

Bailing out Big Oil in the midst of a global crisis will accelerate our path to climate catastrophe. COVID-19 has shown us that our resilience depends on investing in people and communities first— that must be the government’s top priority.