Liberals push back release of climate plan
Government to unveil strategy in three months after it consults with public
The federal government is delaying the release of its official plan to hit Canada’s climate target for 2030, the Star has learned.
The Liberals will announce Friday that they are using the escape hatch in their climate “accountability” law to delay the release of the plan by three months as they consult with the public on how to reduce emissions that cause climate change, according to a government official who spoke on condition they aren’t named.
The decision to delay the plan comes one week after the federal environment commissioner slammed the government for breaking every promise it has made to reduce greenhouse gas pollution since 1992. National emissions increased by 21 per cent between 1990 and 2019, and the accountability law is meant to ensure Canada finally fulfils its international commitments to reduce them.
The law says the government had until Dec. 29 to release a plan that would chart how Canada will achieve its climate goal for 2030, which is to slash emissions to at least 40 per cent below 2005 levels. But the law allows the government to push back that deadline by three months.
Having taken advantage of that provision, the plan must now be released no later than March 29, the government official said.
The law received royal assent in June, and the Liberals said it was necessary to create reporting requirements that would pressure current and future governments to follow through on pledges to reduce emissions, as leading scientists call for “unprecedented” action to avoid the worst extremes of climate change.
According to the law, the government’s emissions reduction plan for 2030 must include a new, interim target for 2026 as well. It also must have a description and timetable to implement key measures to slash emissions, as well as a summary of any relevant strategies to cut pollution for specific sectors.