The two provinces that account for nearly half of Canada’s climate pollution show up poorly while British Columbia, Quebec, and the federal government lead the pack in a new scorecard of governments’ climate plans and their embrace of clean economy measures.
The report, published last week by the Calgary-based Pembina Institute with researchers from Simon Fraser University, shows Saskatchewan and Alberta far behind other Canadian governments in setting emission reduction targets and taking practical steps to meet them.
“These provinces are not only lagging in development of appropriate policies to reduce emissions in their own jurisdictions, they are also actively opposing some proposed federal policies, especially those that impact the oil and gas sector—still Canada’s biggest single source of emissions,” Pembina writes in a summary of the report.
The full report [pdf] urges governments to “think of climate policy as economic policy,” noting that “citizens and communities across this country expect their leaders to think ahead about how their needs will be met through the clean economies of the future.”
The study results show that “Alberta and Saskatchewan have some easy wins that are available to them,” Pembina Institute Senior Analyst Sarah McBain told the Globe and Mail. “There’s opportunity to really look at those who are leading with this report. It shows where to go for advice, to see other governments that are proposing attainable and well-designed policies in the real world.”
Pembina’s rating chart assigns a green-yellow-red colour code to policies that show strong leadership, some leadership, or “little or no policy in place” in setting emission reduction targets, developing 2050 net-zero plans, introducing climate accountability and governance measures, and taking specific actions in buildings, transportation, reconciliation, equity, and the clean economy transition. While B.C.’s rating scale shows green for 86% of the 23 indicators, Saskatchewan’s and Alberta’s both run 74% in the red.
The federal government and all the provinces receive red ratings for their plans to hit a net-zero emissions target by 2050.
“The good news is that Canada’s climate policies are beginning to work,” with emissions “starting to meaningfully fall in some locations and economic sectors,” Pembina says. “If all governments stay the course on the plans and policies that they have already implemented (or announced plans to implement), Canada would be on track to significantly reduce emissions by the end of this decade,” approaching though not meeting the federal government’s target of a 40 to 45% reduction by 2030.
But “climate policy-making is not only about reducing emissions,” Pembina declares. “It is also about taking proactive steps to prepare all parts of our economy for the global shift to low-carbon energy that is already under way.”
In its assessment of specific emission reduction measures, the summary indicates that:
• Only Canada, B.C., New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island have adopted new standards to make all buildings zero-carbon ready by 2050;
• Only B.C. has a plan for zero-carbon ready building retrofits, with Canada, Manitoba, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI, and Newfoundland and Labrador showing some leadership;
• Only Canada, B.C., and Quebec have zero-emission sales regulations in place for light-duty vehicles, and no one is doing enough on medium and heavy-duty vehicles;
• Only B.C. and Quebec have comprehensive policies in place to support transit and active transportation;
• Only B.C. has a comprehensive green transition plan in place.
The Pembina report stresses that successful climate policy “requires an innovative, place-based approach that includes core elements, but is designed for the unique needs and circumstances of each jurisdiction.” That means governments must consider “how the energy transition will impact their work forces and populations, particularly equity-deserving groups and Indigenous peoples, and take steps to prepare.”
The authors add that “every corner of Canada” will see the impacts of the climate change or the energy transition, whether or not governments plan for it. “Governments that do not take action today to reduce emissions in line with Canada’s international commitments are not only leaving their populations vulnerable to the most devastating impacts of climate change, they are doing a disservice to the future competitiveness of their jurisdictions and their industries in the global marketplace.”
