OTTAWA – As Parliament resumes, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May has outlined a set of priorities that she says are urgent for Canada’s future — from climate accountability to digital rights, privacy, fair taxation, and justice in Palestine.
“Canadians expect their government to defend our rights, our democracy, and our planet,” said May. “Instead, we see a government retreating from climate commitments, caving to U.S. pressure, and eroding our privacy. The Green Party will not stay silent.”
On climate change, May warned that Prime Minister Carney’s refusal to confirm Canada’s legally binding Paris Agreement targets is “dangerous and irresponsible,” adding that weakening the country’s commitments would put Canada in violation of international law. “Canada’s climate commitments are not a bargaining chip,” she said. “They are legally binding, and they are a lifeline. The atmosphere doesn’t negotiate. We must meet, and strengthen, our targets, not walk away from them.”
She also pledged to fight Bill C-2, the government’s so-called “Strong Borders Act,” which grants sweeping new surveillance powers and restricts refugee rights. “Canadians don’t need a surveillance state to have safe borders,” May said. “Bill C-2 trades away our privacy and our sovereignty. It must be scrapped and replaced with targeted, Charter-proof legislation that actually keeps people safe.”
On Bill C-4, May condemned the provisions buried in the bill that exempt political parties from federal and provincial privacy laws, retroactive to 2000. “Canadians deserve privacy rights that apply to everyone, including political parties,” she said. “Sneaking in a retroactive exemption is an assault on trust in our democracy, and these provisions must be removed.”
Turning to taxation, May criticized the Carney government’s decision to repeal the Digital Services Tax under U.S. pressure. The tax would have raised more than $7 billion over five years by requiring global tech giants like Google, Meta, Amazon, and Apple to pay on their Canadian revenues. “Big Tech shouldn’t get a free ride in Canada,” she said. “The Digital Services Tax makes them pay their fair share, and repealing it under U.S. pressure is a betrayal of Canadian sovereignty.” She noted that Canada is not alone in this effort; countries such as France, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom have already put digital services taxes in place.
Finally, May will urge Canadian Parliamentarians to follow the example of the Scottish Parliament, which recently voted to halt public funding for companies that supply weapons to Israel, end trade privileges linked to the occupation, and direct resources toward humanitarian support for the people of Gaza.
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