In April, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau raised Canada’s 2030 greenhouse gas reduction target to 40–45%. That means over the next nine years, Canada will have to cut its greenhouse gas emissions to meet only 55–60% of the emissions levels measured in 2005.
This all sounds great. But compared to other G7 countries, whose leaders met with the Prime Minister a few weeks back, it is unexceptional. Our neighbour, the US, aims to slash emissions by at least 50% by 2030; the UK, meanwhile, promised a 78% decrease in emissions levels (compared to 1990) by 2035. Indeed, some climate activist groups have even criticized the government for having the “weakest” of all 2030 reduction targets in the G7.
Although Canada’s long-term goal of net-zero emissions by 2050 is on par with the likes of other G7 nations, it will be a difficult goal to meet. And one step in getting there may be Bill C-12.
The bill is titled the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act, and its main purpose is to hold the government accountable for the promise of net-zero by 2050. It requires the Minister of the Environment to set targets and plans for 2030 and every five years after that until 2050. (Climate activists and other MPs managed to add in an interim objective for 2026.) Frequent progress and assessment reports, along with an independent advisory body, are also mandated by this bill. Likewise, the Minister of Finance must produce an annual report detailing the economic impacts of any plans.
Three Months
Nevertheless, Bill C-12 didn’t make it through the Senate fast enough before parliament adjourned last Wednesday. They’ll return in September, but by then, it’s unclear where this bill could go.
The measures in this proposed legislation are a step in the right direction. But this bill, even if passed, can only overcome a small, though crucial, challenge.
Although the federal government has imposed stricter rules in recent years—with their 2019 carbon tax legislation, for example, we still don’t have a clear picture of the extent of the federal government’s powers on this issue. They managed to centralize the carbon tax at a base minimum. The Supreme Court has also affirmed the role of federalism in climate change legislation, but provinces still have considerable power over how federal mandates are implemented. If the federal government wants to enforce certain universal measures across Canada to meet its targets, further action may very well be necessary.
Ultimately, this bill is about transparency, which makes way for accountability. And that’s a good thing.
We’ll most likely know the result in a few months—three at the earliest. But even after this bill, the federal government still has a long way to go if they want to meet the goals they’ve set.
Read More:
- Trudeau increases Canada’s 2030 emissions target to 40-45% (April 22, 2021)
- Bill C-12: An Act respecting transparency and accountability in Canada’s efforts to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2050
- Bill C-12: Why the Green Party and environmental groups are against Ottawa’s net-zero climate bill (June 19, 2021)
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