Ryan McMahon: 'We weren’t brave enough to hold a climate debate in this country'

Election coverage neglected the North and the serious impacts of the climate crisis
Screen capture CBC News.

Anishnaabe comedian and writer Ryan McMahon was a commentator on CBC’s election night coverage. He offered this closing thought.

Your ad here
Don't like ads?
Automated ads help us pay our journalists, servers, and team. Support us by becoming a member today to hide all automated ads:
Become a member

Indigenous communities are on the front lines of climate change, and you know, they have been talking about climate change for nearly two decades.

We sat here tonight, hardly talked about the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, Nunavik, Nunavut. [Moderator: Almost not at all.] Not at all.

And I mean, we’re not just talking about climate change as an idea there. We’re talking about food sources, food insecurity issues, food security issues.

And we weren’t brave enough to hold a climate debate in this country. And to me, in 2019, climate change deniers are basically flat earthers.

And so if we’re not brave enough to hold a climate change debate in this country and have a conversation, we have to go to bed tonight thinking about that. And I hope all of the parties show more bravery.

I mean, over a million people participated in the climate march and strike. Most of them were young people.

So what does it say to them if we’re not brave enough to have the conversation?

You might also be interested in...
Brandi Morin: In Nevada, Indigenous land protectors face off with a Canadian mining company
Brandi Morin
September 14, 2023
VIDEO: Marching to prevent ‘another tar sands’
Zachary Ruiter
October 2, 2023
Canada’s MAID policy is facilitating death by poverty
Simon Spichak
September 28, 2023