Feds can't say which regulations to cut greenhouse gas emissions are working: audit
The federal government needs to start taking stock of whether its climate-change regulations are actually cutting greenhouse-gas emissions or not, Environment Commissioner Jerry DeMarco said Thursday
DeMarco published the results of a new audit looking at the impact of five specific climate change policies, which found that Canada doesn't know how much those regulations are contributing to any reduction in emissions.
Not having that information runs the risk that Canada will keep missing its targets for cutting emissions, as it already has time and time again, DeMarco said.
"We say this in the context of 30 years of them missing every target," he said.
"So the, 'Just trust us, it will all all add up,' doesn't work until they actually start showing that they're able to meet a target. When they start meeting targets, then I'll be more confident in their ability to to model their plans and so on. Right now, they don't deserve the benefit of the doubt after 30 years of missing targets."
Canada has set at least eight targets for greenhouse-gas emissions since 1988 and hasn't met a single one of them to date.
It exceeded its most recent target for 2020, set in 2009 by the former Conservative government, by 52 million tonnes, or about what 11.5 million passenger vehicles emit over the course of a year.
Canada's current target is to reduce emissions by 2030 so they are 40 to 45 per cent less than they were in 2005. DeMarco says if the government isn't certain its regulations are working, it won't be able to correct course in time to avoid missing yet another target.
The Liberals have introduced more than 100 new policies on climate since they came to power in 2015, and additional policies depend on regulations that were enacted before that. DeMarco's audit looked at just five policies.
They included emissions standards that are supposed to lower the emissions from passenger vehicles, heavy duty engines, coal and natural gas power plants, as well as regulations requiring oil and gas companies to reduce or stop methane from leaking out of their wells.
When Canada reports its emissions, it does so by industry, and does not attribute any changes to specific policies.
The most recent report, which covered data from 2021 and was published last week, suggested Canada is finally starting to see real progress on long-term emissions reductions.
But it is still a very long way from its 2030 targets.
Canada's emissions in 2021 amounted to 670 million tonnes, which is 8.5 per cent below what they were in 2005. To meet its 2030 target, Canada has to cut almost four times as many emissions over nine years as it did in the previous 16.
Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said the government is always looking to see where it can improve its reporting, but he said it's important to note that Canada is succeeding in bringing its emissions down.
"In the meantime, as they say, the proof is in the pudding," he said. "And that's what we're doing. We're bending the emissions curve."
DeMarco said Guilbeault's department told him it is difficult to determine how many emissions cuts can be attributed to individual policies, because some of them overlap.
While emissions from electricity generation have fallen in recent years, those coming from vehicles and the oil and gas industry have both increased.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 20, 2023
IN DEPTH
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
'Democracy requires constant vigilance' Trudeau testifies at inquiry into foreign election interference in Canada
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau testified Wednesday before the national public inquiry into foreign interference in Canada's electoral processes, following a day of testimony from top cabinet ministers about allegations of meddling in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. Recap all the prime minister had to say.
As Poilievre sides with Smith on trans restrictions, former Conservative candidate says he's 'playing with fire'
Siding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her proposed restrictions on transgender youth, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed Wednesday that he is against trans and non-binary minors using puberty blockers.
Supports for passengers, farmers, artists: 7 bills from MPs and Senators to watch in 2024
When parliamentarians return to Ottawa in a few weeks to kick off the 2024 sitting, there are a few bills from MPs and senators that will be worth keeping an eye on, from a 'gutted' proposal to offer a carbon tax break to farmers, to an initiative aimed at improving Canada's DNA data bank.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Happy tears' of victim's sister after prison attack on serial killer Robert Pickton
Cynthia Cardinal said she was 'overwhelmed' with happiness when she received a text message on Monday with the news that serial killer Robert Pickton, who murdered her sister, was attacked in prison. She called it 'karma.'
DEVELOPING Police investigating suspicious substance near U.S. Capitol
U.S. Capitol Police were investigating a suspicious substance Wednesday on a street near the Capitol and where the Republican National Committee headquarters are located, the police said in a statement.
Fish oil supplements may raise risk of stroke, heart issues, study suggests
As an excellent source of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, daily fish oil supplements are a popular way to keep the risk of cardiovascular disease at bay.
Montreal photographer captures dramatic Canada goose vs. fox fight on video
A Montreal photographer captured the moment a Canada goose defended itself from a fox at the Botanical Garden.
Interpol says more than 1,500 stolen Canadian vehicles identified since February
Interpol says more than 200 stolen Canadian vehicles have been found each week across the globe since February.
Thunderstorms with tornado risk in some areas in Ontario, snow elsewhere in Canada
Canadians can expect a mixed bag of weather, with forecasts warning of thunderstorms, heavy rain and snow in some areas across western Canada.
opinion Biden steals debate issue from Trump campaign, makes it his own
Donald Trump had spent weeks needling U.S. President Joe Biden for his refusal to commit to a debate. But Washington political columnist Eric Ham describes how in one fell swoop, Biden ingeniously stole the issue from the Trump campaign and made it his own.
'All hell broke loose': Passengers on Singapore Airlines flight describe nightmare at 37,000 feet
Passengers on a Singapore Airlines flight hit by severe turbulence on Tuesday described a sudden, dramatic drop as 'all hell broke loose' on board the Boeing airliner carrying 229 passengers and crew.
3 people dead after stabbing in Plateau-Mont-Royal: Montreal police
Three people are dead after they were stabbed in Montreal's Plateau-Mont-Royal borough Tuesday evening, police say.
Local Spotlight
Montreal photographer captures dramatic Canada goose vs. fox fight on video
A Montreal photographer captured the moment a Canada goose defended itself from a fox at the Botanical Garden.
Beyond books: Halifax libraries lends instruments, sports equipment, memory kits and more
Public libraries in Atlantic Canada are now lending a broader range of items.
'A special bird': The unbreakable bond between purple martins and humans
Flashes of purple darting across the sky mixed with the serenading sound of songs will be noticed more with spring in full force in Manitoba.
7-year-old Pokémon prodigy heading to Hawaii for world championship tournament
Catching 'em all with impressive speed, a 7-year-old boy from Windsor, Ont. who only started his competitive Pokémon journey seven months ago has already levelled up to compete at a world championship level.
VIDEO Born without front legs, this dog has been inspiring the world for 3 years: Dresden farm owner
A sanctuary dedicated to animals with disabilities is celebrating the third birthday of one of its most popular residents.
From DVDs to rehearsals: Halifax theatre company transforms Video Difference building into arts hub
2b Theatre recently moved into the old Video Difference building, seeking to transform it into an artistic hub, meeting space, and temporary housing unit for visiting performers in Halifax.
'Another pair of eyes watching over me:' How a B.C. woman's service dog saved her from drowning
A B.C. woman says her service dog pulled her from a lake moments before she had a seizure, saving her life.
Starbucks fan on decades-long journey to visit every store in the world
A Starbucks fan — whose name is Winter — is visiting Canada on a purposeful journey that began with a random idea at one of the coffee chain's stores in Texas.
'Sacred work': Sask. First Nation learning how to conduct its own underground searches
Members of Piapot First Nation, students from the University of Winnipeg and various other professionals are learning new techniques that will hopefully be used for ground searches of potential unmarked grave sites in the future.