PM Trudeau's pledges at COP26, and how they might affect Canadians
PM Trudeau's pledges at COP26, and how they might affect Canadians
TORONTO -
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has spent the last two days at the UN's COP26 climate talks in Glasgow, U.K., promoting the Canadian government's vision for climate action.
Many of Trudeau's proclamations at the summit reflected promises he made during the federal election campaign earlier this year. One such platform item he pushed for Tuesday was the implementation of a global price on carbon.
"Tackling the climate crisis will take all of us," he said in a news release. "Together, the global community needs to accelerate new and bold approaches to fighting climate change and building cleaner economies."
Trudeau further pledged action to tackle climate change through various programs, as well as increased aid for developing countries to help them transition toward cleaner economies.
Here's what the PM promised the world at COP26, and how it would affect Canadian taxpayers.
PRICE ON POLLUTION
Currently, more than 20 per cent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions are covered by a price on carbon, according to the PMO. Trudeau called for world leaders to come together and triple that figure to 60 per cent by 2030.
"What a strong carbon price does, when it's properly designed, is actually drive those price signals to the private sector, transform the economy and support citizens in encouraging them to make better choices," he said Tuesday.
Canada's current price on carbon sits at $40 per tonne, and is set to rise to $170 per tonne by 2030.
At the current price, the cost of gasoline, for example, is increased by about 8.8 cents per litre.
Provinces and territories that have adopted the federal pricing system have the proceeds returned to them. In places that have not met federal requirements, namely Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario, rebates are issued to citizens to help offset increased prices.
Starting in July 2022, those rebates, called Climate Action Incentive payments, will be issued quarterly, Trudeau announced. This was a pledge made previously during the election campaign.
CAP ON EMISSIONS
Trudeau promised on Monday a cap on Canadian oil and gas emissions, an item on the Liberal Party platform during the election campaign. He pledged to reduce emissions by 40 to 45 per cent, compared to 2005 levels, by 2030.
The announcement met by criticism from some.
"That's not good enough as a target," Green Party MP Elizabeth May told Evan Solomon on CTV's Power Play on Monday, saying the focus should be on cutting oil and gas production, not emissions.
On Monday, Trudeau stated a commitment toward achieving net-zero emissions within Canada's electricity grid by 2035, which was also an item on his party's platform during the election campaign.
He also announced up to $1 billion in aid to help developing countries transition from coal-based electricity to clean power.
METHANE EMISSIONS
On Tuesday, Canada officially joined the Global Methane Pledge, which aims to reduce methane emissions by at least 30 per cent below 2020 levels by 2030. Trudeau also repeated another election campaign promise to reduce methane emissions in the oil and gas sector by 75 per cent below 2012 levels by 2030.
NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS
Trudeau once again committed to protecting 25 per cent of the country's land and oceans by 2025, re-stating a promise he previously made to Canadians. He also said the government will move forward on another promise made earlier this year by planting two billion trees.
In addition, Trudeau promoted the rights, knowledge, and leadership of Indigenous peoples in conservation, including by supporting Indigenous-led stewardship initiatives.
He also announced Tuesday an extra $9 million in support for the global Ocean Risk and Resilience Alliance to support work in helping developing island nations and coastal countries face the challenges of climate change.
On top of that, he pledged another $6 million for the Global Fund for Coral Reefs to support coral reef conservation efforts.
Trudeau endorsed the Global Forest Finance Pledge, which at COP26 announced its intention to provide US$12 billion for forest-related climate finance from 2021 to 2025 to help forested developing countries deal with climate change.
MORE INTERNATIONAL AID
Trudeau announced Tuesday investments of up to $57.5 million to help some of the world's poorest countries adapt to climate change.
Canada will also provide $55 million over three years to the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), a global research partnership that includes international organizations engaged in food security. The money will be put toward facing the challenges to food, land and water systems under threat by climate change, according to the PMO, while also promoting gender equality, creating new jobs and delivering environmental benefits around the world.
With files from The Canadian Press
Correction
The estimated price increase of 8.8 cents per litre of gasoline is based on Canada's current price on carbon, not the 2030 figure.
U.S. President Joe Biden heads north next week for his first visit to Canada as president. Ahead of the visit, both countries are laying out a wide range of potential topics spanning from migration policy to continuing support for Ukraine.
More than 130,000 people have signed an e-petition calling on Canada to give transgender and non-binary people fleeing harmful laws in their home countries the right to claim asylum, but that's already possible in this country. Advocates say the popularity of the proposal shows politicians that Canadians want the government to affirm its welcoming position.
The Public Order Emergency Commission has concluded that the federal government met the threshold for invoking the Emergencies Act to bring an end to the 'Freedom Convoy' protests and blockades.
The federal government is pledging to increase health funding to Canada's provinces and territories by $196.1 billion over the next 10 years, in a long-awaited deal aimed at addressing Canada's crumbling health-care systems with $46.2 billion in new funding.
Governor of the Bank of Canada Tiff Macklem says he thinks Canada is 'turning the corner' on inflation, but he isn't ruling out that the country could enter a 'mild recession.' In an English-language broadcast exclusive interview with CTV National News Ottawa Bureau Chief Joyce Napier, Macklem encouraged Canadians to prepare a 'buffer' to withstand 'tougher times.'
Joe Biden comes for a sleepover next week to make Canada the 18th country he has visited since being sworn in as U.S. president, quite the protocol slippage from that fading, if not forgotten, tradition of Canada being the first foreign presidential pitstop, writes Don Martin in a column for CTVNews.ca.
After weeks of refusing to look further into foreign election interference, Justin Trudeau surrendered to intense pressure and appointed a 'special rapporteur' to review China's actions. In his exclusive column for CTVNews.ca, Don Martin writes this 'startling change of heart' suggests the PMO is in panic mode and reflects badly on the prime minister's decision making.
The Trudeau tipping point is within sight. The moment when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau knows he has to quit for the good of the party or the Liberals realize they can't survive re-election with him at the helm is almost upon us, Don Martin writes in an exclusive column for CTVNews.ca.
Bombshell revelations that suggest Chinese agents actively, fraudulently and successfully manipulated Canada's electoral integrity in the last two federal elections cannot be dismissed with the standard Justin Trudeau nothing-to-see-here shrug, Don Martin writes in his exclusive opinion column for CTVNews.ca.
The chances Trudeau's health-care summit with the premiers will end with the blueprint to realistic long-term improvements are only marginally better than believing China’s balloon was simply collecting atmospheric temperatures, Don Martin writes in an exclusive column for CTVNews.ca, 'But it’s clearly time the 50-year-old dream of medicare as a Canadian birthright stopped being such a nightmare for so many patients.'
The 2023 federal budget will include a one-time "grocery rebate" for Canadians with lower incomes who may be struggling with the rising cost of food, CTV News has confirmed.
A female shooter wielding two 'assault-style' rifles and a pistol killed three students and three adults at a private Christian school in Nashville on Monday, authorities said. The suspect also died after being shot by police.
Han Dong is threatening legal action against Global News and its parent company Corus Entertainment after the media outlet published an allegation the Toronto MP spoke to a Chinese diplomat about delaying the release of two Canadians.
The Calgary Fire Department says at least 10 people were injured in a 'sudden and devastating' explosion in the city's northeast on Monday that completely destroyed one home.
Whether it's gas, food or booze, consumers can expect to pay more for these goods next month. Two of the biggest changes include the federal carbon tax will increase to $65 per tonne of greenhouse emissions, up from $50, and the federal beverage alcohol duty that will increase by 6.3 per cent, which both come into effect on April 1.
Flying over the Grand Canyon was a highlight for the Gellisen family during their trip to Phoenix, but their flight home to Toronto was a much different experience, with several family members forced off of the flight over tensions related to a teen's wheelchair.
Despite delayed decision-making by parliamentarians, Canada's massive renovation of Parliament Hill's Centre Block is being effectively managed so far, according to a new audit. However, 'rigorous' cost management will be needed as the work proceeds, cautions auditor general Karen Hogan.
The appreciation and respect shown by the public after two Edmonton Police Service officers were killed in the line of duty has not gone unnoticed, their families said in a statement ahead of the regimental funeral on Monday.
The Calgary Fire Department says at least 10 people were injured in a 'sudden and devastating' explosion in the city's northeast on Monday that completely destroyed one home.
Police say they have found the sixth and seventh bodies inside a building in Old Montreal that burned down 11 days ago and do not expect find any more victims. With the death toll now expected to remain at seven, police said they can begin to focus their efforts on finding the cause of the deadly March 16 fire.
The 2023 federal budget will include a one-time "grocery rebate" for Canadians with lower incomes who may be struggling with the rising cost of food, CTV News has confirmed.
A female shooter wielding two 'assault-style' rifles and a pistol killed three students and three adults at a private Christian school in Nashville on Monday, authorities said. The suspect also died after being shot by police.
Scotland's governing Scottish National Party elected Humza Yousaf as its new leader on Monday after a bruising five-week contest that exposed deep fractures within the pro-independence movement.
Thousands of anti-government protesters marched on the streets of Kenya's capital, Nairobi, on Monday despite the government's declaration that the protests are illegal.
The Manhattan grand jury investigating former President Donald Trump over hush money payments returned on Monday to hear more evidence, with still no word on when it might be asked to vote on a possible indictment.
The 2023 federal budget will include a one-time "grocery rebate" for Canadians with lower incomes who may be struggling with the rising cost of food, CTV News has confirmed.
Despite delayed decision-making by parliamentarians, Canada's massive renovation of Parliament Hill's Centre Block is being effectively managed so far, according to a new audit. However, 'rigorous' cost management will be needed as the work proceeds, cautions auditor general Karen Hogan.
Han Dong is threatening legal action against Global News and its parent company Corus Entertainment after the media outlet published an allegation the Toronto MP spoke to a Chinese diplomat about delaying the release of two Canadians.
Hershey Co. is looking to reduce 'trace' amounts of lead and cadmium in its chocolate, chief financial officer Steve Voskiul told Reuters on Wednesday, after Consumer Reports found that some dark chocolate bars had potentially harmful levels of the heavy metals.
A growing number of Muslim doctors and psychologists are trying to bridge the gap between faith leaders and worshippers with eating disorders, who say they face marginalization when trying to access support within their own communities, as well as in the public health system.
Another harmful substance is spreading within Canada's unregulated street drug supply and, without more aggressive intervention from policymakers, one expert says a growing number of people could be at risk of serious illness, injury or death.
At least 2,000 mummified ram heads dating from the Ptolemaic period and a palatial Old Kingdom structure have been uncovered at the temple of Ramses II in the ancient city of Abydos in southern Egypt, antiquities officials said on Saturday.
Oscar-winning actor and producer Reese Witherspoon and her talent agent husband Jim Toth said on Friday they had made the 'difficult decision to divorce.'
The Fox News producer who accused the right-wing network of pressuring her into giving misleading testimony in the Dominion defamation case has been fired, she disclosed in new court filings.
Nicholas Lloyd Webber, the Grammy-nominated composer, record producer and eldest son of Andrew Lloyd Webber, died Saturday in England after a protracted battle with gastric cancer and pneumonia. He was 43.
North Carolina-based First Citizens will buy Silicon Valley Bank, the tech industry-focused financial institution that collapsed earlier this month, rattling the banking industry and sending shockwaves around the world.
Trains, planes and public transit systems stood still across much of Germany on Monday as labour unions called a major one-day strike over salaries in an effort to win inflation-busting raises for their members.
Strength in the financial and utility sectors helped Canada's main stock index move higher in late-morning trading, while U.S. stock markets were mixed to start the trading week.
Some 200 protesters gathered beneath Rio de Janeiro's world-famous Sugarloaf Mountain to protest the ongoing construction of ziplines aimed at boosting tourism, alleging it will cause unacceptable impacts.
This past week, Parks Canada opened up its reservation system for the 2023 season, offering places to stay, hikes to take and national historic sites to visit across the country. According to three experts, here's where to travel this summer.
Japanese chef Tomoya Kawada has achieved a feat no other restaurateur has before; he's created the world's only three-Michelin-star Chinese restaurant in a non-Chinese-speaking city.
Tereza Vanisova scored 4:23 into overtime, and the Premier Hockey Federation's Isobel Cup is heading to Canada for the first time in its eight-year history following the Toronto Six's 4-3 win over the Minnesota Whitecaps on Sunday night.
Cristiano Ronaldo is feeling at home again. It took only two games for him to make his peace with Portugal's national team and show he is not done impressing at the international level just yet.
The federal auditor general says two-thirds of people with disabilities encountered barriers on federally regulated planes and trains in 2019 and 2020, and is highlighting a lack of consultation and enforcement by agencies involved.
Germany and the European Union announced Saturday that they have reached an agreement in their dispute over the future of cars with combustion engines, allowing the registration of new vehicles with such engines even after 2035 provided they use climate-neutral fuel only.
A new survey conducted by Research Co. found that the majority of Canadians support tying speeding ticket fines to income, otherwise known as ‘progressive punishment.’
