Canada is on track to miss its 2030 climate target largely due to delays in rolling out key measures such as an oil and gas emissions cap, concluded a new report from a federal auditor.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has pledged to reduce Canada’s emissions by at least 40% below 2005 levels by 2030, but the programs he’s relying on to get there have almost all seen significant delays in implementation.
“While the 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan included important mitigation measures to reduce emissions, some of these measures, such as the oil and gas emissions cap and the clean fuel regulations, have been delayed,” said Environment Commissioner Jerry DeMarco in the report released Tuesday.
“We found that the measures most critical for reducing emissions had not been identified or prioritized.”
The clean fuel regulations, for example, had initially been planned to roll out in 2019 but were delayed until 2023 due to two federal elections and the Covid-19 pandemic.
A draft proposal for an oil and gas emissions cap — a program meant to force fossil fuel companies to rein in their emissions — has still not been released, despite being initially planned for early 2023. Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault told Bloomberg in August that the proposal would “definitely” be unveiled before Nov. 30.
Proposed methane regulations have also been delayed.
In general, the delays were attributed to consultations with industry and other stakeholders taking longer than planned.
“These delays increase the likelihood that Canada will miss its 2030 target,” the commissioner said. “They also could result in Canada adding a significantly higher amount of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere over time than if the measures had not been delayed.”
The report also found that “the responsibility for reducing emissions and achieving the 2030 and 2050 targets is fragmented among multiple federal organizations,” with the result that nobody is held accountable for delays or inaction.
Trudeau’s signature climate policy remains the federal carbon tax implemented in 2019, but even that program is seeing friction. Last month he suspended it on oil used for home heating, effectively bowing to political pressure in Canada’s eastern provinces, an electoral stronghold for Trudeau’s Liberals.
Several Canadian premiers are now demanding the same exemption on fossil fuels used to heat their residents’ homes, arguing the break is essential to combat rising prices.
