“Source not avaibable in English. Translation.] “After a summer of extreme weather, the environment could be a major issue in the upcoming election campaign. In less than two years, the Liberal Party has managed to make some “good moves” on the environment, but not to overcome policy inconsistencies, say observers”

“Today, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, formally submitted Canada’s enhanced Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the United Nations, committing Canada to cut its greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 40‑45 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. Canada’s NDC submission outlines a series of investments, regulations and measures that the country is taking in pursuit of its ambitious target. It includes input from provincial, territorial and Indigenous partners. These actions are also detailed in a new publication, entitled “Canada’s Climate Actions for a Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy”. This is Canada’s first emissions reduction target that is enshrined in law under the new Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act, which received Royal Assent in June 2021”

“Budget 2021 proposes to update the eligibility criteria such that certain fossil-fuelled and low efficiency waste-fuelled electrical generation equipment will no longer be eligible after 2024.” “Budget 2021 proposes to expand the list of eligible equipment to include equipment used in pumped hydroelectric energy storage, renewable fuel production, hydrogen production by electrolysis of water, and hydrogen refueling. Certain existing restrictions related to investments in watercurrent, wave and tidal energy, active solar heating, and geothermal energy technologies would also be removed”

“Today, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Jonathan Wilkinson, published the conclusions of Canada’s annual greenhouse gas emissions projections. The analysis shows that in 2030, Canada’s emissions are projected to be 227 million tonnes (Mt) below what was projected in 2015. This is a historic level of emissions reductions. Policies and measures now in place, including those introduced in the last year, are projected to achieve a level of emissions 28 million tonnes lower by 2030 than last year’s projections.

Earlier this month, the Government of Canada announced commitments to further strengthen existing and introduce new greenhouse gas reducing measures in order to exceed Canada’s current 2030 emissions reduction goal. In addition, Canada will develop a plan to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 and will set legally-binding, five-year emissions reduction milestones, based on the advice of experts and consultations with Canadians.

The government has committed to efforts to increase clean electricity, invest in greener buildings and communities, accelerate the electrification of transportation, and adopt nature-based climate solutions – including protecting 25 percent of Canada’s land and 25 percent of Canada’s oceans by 2025, and planting two billion new trees by 2030.

Once implemented over the coming years, these additional measures will help deliver the projected reductions needed to meet and exceed the country’s Paris Agreement goal. These measures identified in the new mandate letters represent additional megatons in emissions reductions. Further, current projections do not yet account for the impacts of implementing new public transit projects and breakthroughs in clean technologies”