QUESTION PERIOD — Environment and Climate Change
Canada's Emissions Targets
November 23, 2022
My question is to Senator Gold, and it is about climate change and the impact of extreme weather conditions across this country, as we have seen most recently with the Hurricane Fiona disaster on our eastern neighbours.
The government created its 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan to meet its international commitments to cut carbon emissions by 40% to 45% below 2005 levels by 2030, and it’s adopted an all‑of-the-above approach to meet these goals. However, we need to acknowledge that the federal government does not have plenary power over greenhouse gas emissions, as the Supreme Court of Canada held in the 2021 Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act reference. This constitutional constraint could prove to be fatal to this action plan.
What is the government doing to work alongside provinces to implement this plan? Can you inform us as to the status of formal negotiations and discussions between the federal and provincial governments?
Thank you for your question, and thank you for underlining the important relationship between the federal government and provincial and territorial governments in the shared challenge of both addressing climate change and also maintaining and securing a prosperous economic future for all Canadians.
I don’t know the specific answer to your question, and I will make efforts to find out. I do know that the Government of Canada is in regular discussions on a variety of issues surrounding climate change initiatives, resource development, environmental assessments and the like. Some provinces are more keen to engage than others, but it’s an ongoing process. I’ll certainly make inquiries with regard to more formal consultations that may be taking place.
