[ad_1]
\n<\/p>\n
OTTAWA \u2014 Prime Minister Mark Carney and his environment minister aren\u2019t saying whether Canada is still committed to meeting its climate goals under the Paris agreement by 2030, as the government faces criticism over his emissions reduction plans.<\/p>\n
In an email to The Canadian Press on Monday, the office of Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin said Canada is committed to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 \u2014 but would not commit to the 2030 target when asked directly.<\/p>\n
\u201cTaking into account the evolving global and economic context, the federal government will provide an update on its emissions reductions plan as we strive towards our 2030 and 2035 targets,\u201d Dabrusin\u2019s press secretary Keean Nembhard wrote.<\/p>\n
\u201cBuilding climate resilience and meeting our targets is not optional. It\u2019s economically smart, fiscally responsible, and essential to protecting Canadians and the places they call home.\u201d<\/p>\n
Canada has a legal requirement to achieve net-zero by 2050, having included the target in legislation in 2021. Part of its path to get there is a plan to cut emissions to at least 40 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030 \u2014 a commitment set out in the Paris agreement.<\/p>\n
The statement from Dabrusin\u2019s office was the third time on Monday of a member of Carney\u2019s government declined to commit to the Paris target.<\/p>\n
Earlier Monday, Industry Minister M\u00e9lanie Joly also sidestepped a question about whether the government is committed to its 2030 target, deferring instead to Dabrusin for comment.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to make sure we find ways to be net-zero by 2050,\u201d Joly said.<\/p>\n
Carney, in St. John\u2019s on Monday to announce tariff relief measures for Atlantic Canada businesses, was asked by reporters how his government is planning to adjust its climate targets after recent policy announcements dialed back some of the Trudeau government\u2019s climate initiatives.<\/p>\n
On his first day in office in March, Carney eliminated the consumer carbon price. On Friday, he delayed the electric vehicle sales mandate for at least a year. Carney has said he plans to strengthen the industrial carbon pricing system but has yet to explain how.<\/p>\n
Carney did not directly answer the question about Canada\u2019s climate targets and instead pivoted to the competitive advantages of a low-carbon economy.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe see becoming low-carbon in any industry as being a key driver of competitiveness,\u201d Carney said, adding he\u2019d have more to share in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo that focus on what can we do in order to drive emissions down in a way that makes the country more competitive is crucial.\u201d<\/p>\n
He pointed to offshore oil and gas as a low-carbon alternative to conventional extraction and suggested his government\u2019s push to double housing construction over the next decade will lead to more energy efficient homes.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd all of that will get our emissions down and make us more competitive. So that\u2019s the focus of the government,\u201d Carney said, without addressing how those lower emissions would compare to Canada\u2019s targets.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe government is focused on results.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the government has yet to say whether it will miss its 2030 target \u2014 or whether it\u2019s still trying to achieve it \u2014 observers raised doubts about the target even before Carney dialed back carbon pricing and electric vehicle policies.<\/p>\n
A report last year from the federal environment commissioner said Canada was not on track to meet its 2030 target. Jerry DeMarco estimated Canada\u2019s emissions had only dropped seven per cent below 2005 levels.<\/p>\n
On Friday, after Carney delayed implementing the electric vehicle mandate by a year to give Canada\u2019s automakers some liquidity, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May questioned his climate intentions.<\/p>\n
\u201cCarney\u2019s first hundred days show us clearly that he is rolling back climate action at every turn. Scrapping the carbon price, dismantling legislation, cancelling the EV mandate, these are not the decisions of a leader serious about the climate emergency,\u201d she said in a statement.<\/p>\n
\u00a92025 The Canadian Press<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n