As we near the one-year anniversary of the Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act receiving Royal Assent, it is an appropriate time to highlight our Liberal government’s ongoing actions to combat climate change.

Recent major weather events — including but not limited to the 2021 B.C. wildfires, the flooding in Quebec and New Brunswick in 2019, and last month’s destructive storms that whipped through Ontario and parts of Quebec — are not so gentle reminders that the effects of climate change are not future challenges, but real and present ones.

The Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act enshrines our government’s commitment to setting a clear path to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. The stipulated target years under the act are 2030, 2035, 2040, and 2045. The act also requires the Minister of Environment and Climate Change to publish detailed plans to achieve these targets.

The act requires the minister to release the plan to achieve the 2030 target six months after the act comes into force. Under the recently-released 2030 Emissions Reductions Plan, our government announced a target of 40 percent reduction in Canada’s greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions below 2005 levels by 2030. This 2030 target is Canada’s “nationally determined contribution” under the Paris Agreement.   

Tracking progress is vital to achieving results. The Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act requires that reports tracking progress towards the 2030 target be prepared by the ends of the following years: 2023, 2025, and 2027. It also requires the minister to establish an interim GHG objective for 2026, which has been set at 20 percent below 2005 levels. 

A central feature of the government’s climate plan has been to place a price on carbon. Currently, the benchmark price is $50 per tonne. A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy, the government’s broader plan for a greener economy released in December 2020, stipulates increases of $15 annually in the carbon price from 2023 until 2030. Meanwhile, the Clean Fuel Standard will require gasoline and diesel suppliers to reduce the carbon intensity of their fuels by 13 percent below 2016 levels by 2030. 

In 2020, the transport sector accounted for 24 percent of Canada’s total GHG emissions. Our government has committed to working towards ensuring that all new light-duty cars and passenger trucks sold in 2035 are zero emissions vehicles (ZEVs), with at least 20 percent and 60 percent of vehicles sold being ZEVs in 2026 and 2030, respectively. Budget 2022 proposes over $1.7 billion over five years to extend current ZEV purchase incentives until March 2025.

The buildings sector accounted for 12 percent of Canada’s total GHG emissions in 2019. Consequently, our government introduced the seven-year Canada Greener Homes Grant, a $2.6 billion program aimed at helping Canadians pay for home retrofits. Homeowners can receive up to $5,000 for home retrofits and up to $600 for EnerGuide home evaluations. A total of 700,000 grants are available. Furthermore, up to 175,000 homeowners will be eligible to receive interest-free loans of up to $40,000 under the Canada Greener Homes Loan, thanks to a $4.4-billion commitment in Budget 2021.  

Budget 2022 proposes a tax credit of up to 30 percent on “net-zero technologies, battery storage solutions, and clean hydrogen.” Further details will be forthcoming in the 2022 fall economic and fiscal update. Since 2016, approximately $15 billion has been made available to support clean power generation. Budget 2022 adds over $875 million to continue developing clean electricity initiatives. 

Carbon capture, utilization and storage strategy (CCUS) will play a key role in reducing emissions from the burning of fossil fuels. Budget 2022 thus proposes a refundable tax credit for Canadian businesses in Canada that invest in CCUS. 

While we must reduce GHG emission to halt the progress of climate change, we must at the same time also adapt to its impacts. On May 16, Minister Guilbeault, launched a public consultation to develop Canada’s first National Adaptation Strategy. The government’s discussion paper for this consultation highlights five key areas where efforts will need to be deployed to allow for effective adaptation, including disaster resilience.

Our Liberal government is taking a comprehensive approach to tackling climate change and has instituted a robust accountability framework to ensuring that approach is a sustained one in the long term. 

This article appeared June 13 in the Ottawa Hill Times.