Canada must not slide backwards on vehicle emissions
Donald Trump wants to weaken fuel efficiency standards for cars and light trucks. His intention to do that was announced this week by Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt.
Pruitt, you may remember, is the same Trump puppet who said climate change is real, but could benefit humans, despite the overwhelming evidence that it will lead to catastrophic loss over time. Given that, and his more recent pronouncement on emissions, perhaps the EPA needs a new name — the Environmental Destruction Agency has a nice ring.
Trump’s latest assault on anything that has Barack Obama’s signature on it will, if it ever becomes real, put Canada in a delicate position. It was former prime minister Stephen Harper, to his credit, who worked with Barack Obama in 2013 to increase standards, after a push from California and Quebec. The Trudeau government reaffirmed the regulations in 2016.
In the wake of Trump’s pronouncement, some in the auto industry, along with climate change deniers and right-leaning politicians — Trump-loving climatechange-denying Ontario premier-in-waiting Doug Ford probably among them — were quick to demand the Trudeau government follow suit, or face economic catastrophe by having higher standards than the U.S.
Environment advocates are equally quick to argue against any backsliding, urging the government to take a stand. They’re right. Canada isn’t coming close to meeting its existing greenhouse gas reduction targets. Relaxing limits will only exacerbate that problem.
But what can the government do, given that the Canada/U.S. auto sector has become inextricably integrated? From vehicle manufacturing right back down the supply chain, a change as dramatic as this would be economically traumatic, never mind environmentally irresponsible.
That question will need to be answered, but not necessarily soon. Already, U.S. states including California have said they will take legal action to fight the EPA-mandated change. Predictions are that this move, like so many other Trump initiatives, will be tied up in legal and constitutional knots for years, perhaps even in perpetuity.
Meanwhile, it’s just another tightrope for the Trudeau government to walk, along with retooling NAFTA and developing new trade relationships at the same time as our biggest trading partner is growing more and more isolated in the world.
Ultimately, if necessary, Ottawa should not hesitate to draw a line in the sand on this issue. We believe average Canadians would agree.
New research by Abacus Data for Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission supports that conclusion. It shows that six in 10 Canadians believe climate change is caused by humans and humans should do more to reverse or mitigate its effects. Seventy-five per cent of the 2,250 Canadians surveyed said climate change should be a high priority for governments. Sixty per cent of those surveyed want governments to take more action, compared to only 16 per cent who want less action.
Canadians, and Americans for that matter, are not crying out for weaker emission rules. In fact, based on consumer trends, vehicles that pollute less are becoming more and more popular. In other words, the market has already spoken and Trump’s ideological backflips are simply out of step.
Yes, we must tread carefully. Our auto sector is critical, and we need to respect its challenges. But we don’t need to take a damaging step backward to maintain lockstep with Trump, who continues to drag his country in the wrong direction.