VANCOUVER, BC, April 14, 2015– Fifty-three religious institutional investors with combined assets of more than $2 billion today released a letter written to federal Finance Minister Joe Oliver to ask that the Government of Canada establish mechanisms to set a clear, reliable and effective price for carbon emissions with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and limiting catastrophic climate change.
The letter was signed by representatives of the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada, The United Church of Canada, the Trustees of the Presbyterian Church in Canada, the pension plans of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and The United Church of Canada, Regroupement pour la Responsibilité Sociale des Entreprises (RRSE), regional church bodies, religious foundations and Catholic religious institutes from St. John’s, Newfoundland to Victoria, British Columbia.
Erik Mathiesen, Chief Financial Officer of the United Church of Canada, stated, “Those with the responsibility to invest funds held in trust for our faith communities and the retirement incomes of those who serve them believe that action by governments to set a price on carbon is essential for the long-term viability and growth of our financial investments.”
Sister Karen Gleeson, General Treasurer of the Ursuline Religious of the Diocese of London, explained why this is important to religious investors: “Science tells us that if we fail to act now, climate change will have disastrous impacts. As trustees and administrators of the financial resources of our religious communities, we cannot afford to ignore these impacts. And our faith tells us that we have a responsibility to act.”
The investor letter was facilitated by SHARE.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT
Peter Chapman, Executive Director, SHARE
605 695 2020 | pchapman@share.ca.
Erik Mathiesen, Chief Financial Officer, UCC
416 231-7680 x 4022
Pierre Viau, directeur general, RRSE
438 491 1879 | rrsepviau@gmail.com
