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The Carney government has abandoned Canada's climate goals, and young people are mad about it
(www.halifaxexaminer.ca)
The list of rollbacks they give is long:
- Scrapped the carbon tax and rebate
- Passed the Building Canada Act, which exempts major projects from environmental laws
- Doubled down on LNG infrastructure, by referring LNG Canada Phase 2 to the Major Projects Office
- Ended the Greener Homes loan program, which provided homeowners with up to $40,000 in zero-interest financing for green renovations
- Disproportionately cut funding to Environment and Climate Change Canada
- Expanded subsidies for carbon capture and storage
- Axed the 2 billion trees program
- Promised federal support for a new oilsands pipeline, as well as the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline
- Announced intention to not proceed with the cap on emissions from the oil and gas industry
- Weakened the Clean Electricity Regulations by suspending their application in Alberta
- Promised new subsidies for fossil fuel infrastructure (pipelines, CCS & enhanced oil recovery)
- Threatened to amend or suspend the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act
- Weakened greenwashing provisions in the Competition Act
- Weakened methane regulations, by delaying Alberta’s deadline for achieving the targets
- Doubled down on fossil fuels, by referring Ksi Lisims LNG, and the enabling North Coast Transmission Line, to the Major Projects Office
- Suspended a ban on the export of single-use plastic items that are prohibited in Canada
- Scrapped the Electric Vehicle Availability Standard, which would have required all new vehicles sold in Canada to be zero-emissions by 2035.
- Cut $5 billion for the Canada Public Transit Fund (CPTF)
- Updated the mandate for the Canada Infrastructure Bank to make way for fossil fuel financing
- Promised $1 billion for Equinor’s proposed Bay du Nord Offshore Oil Project
- Ended the Clean Growth Hub
- Gave Alberta more powers over impact assessment
- Paused the fuel excise tax
- Created new fossil fuel subsidies for more oil and gas production
- Weakened the Pest Control Products Act
- Doubled down on fossil fuels, by approving Enbridge’s $4 billion Sunrise natural gas pipeline expansion plan in BC
- Proposed sweeping changes to major project decision making and approvals, including:
— creating special economic zones where projects will not need reviews,
— creating conditions to preapprove pipelines,
— weakening Species at Risk Act to allow Cabinet to approve projects
that would threaten the survival or recovery of endangered species- Weakened Canada’s Electricity Regulations, which will make more room for fossil gas and make it harder to get a clean, affordable grid
- Weakened industrial carbon pricing
- Lowered expectations for CCS Pathways Project
- Considered using Export Development Canada for public financing for LNG Canada