Economists and policy experts agree that the central element of any credible climate policy for Canada is a strong price on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This can be achieved through either a cap-and-trade system or a carbon tax. A comprehensive climate policy package would also include: tough vehicle efficiency regulations; stronger building codes; regulations to cut emissions from landfills and fossil fuel production (venting and flaring); and new public investments in low-emissions infrastructure, agriculture and forestry.
The following reports offer more in-depth analysis and background on Canada's federal climate policies.
Election 2011 survey on the environment
Where do the main political parties stand on environmental issues?
A group of Canadian environmental organizations asked the five main
federal political parties to respond to 10 questions on key
environmental issues.
This document presents the verbatim responses from the four parties that responded — the Liberal Party, the NDP, the Bloc Québecois and the Green Party. The Conservative Party did not respond.
Learn more: English survey results | français | media release
Backgrounder: 2011 federal election checklist
Keys to a strong federal energy and climate change platform
This document outlines the core elements of a strong climate change and energy electoral platform. Throughout the federal campaign, the Pembina Institute will be assessing parties' climate change and energy commitments using the criteria outlined in this document, which are drawn from our research and analysis on these topics.
Our checklist covers: climate change, oilsands, renewable energy, energy efficiency and transportation.
Learn more: 2011 Election Checklist
Fact Sheet: Transforming Canada's energy economy
Canada needs a massive investment in clean energy technology to cut our GHG pollution. The solutions are at hand: more efficient vehicles and buildings, wind and solar power, and even carbon capture and storage have already been demonstrated on an industrial scale.
But Canada has not yet succeeded in dramatically accelerating investment in such technologies. Download our "Transforming Canada's Energy Economy" fact sheet to find out more about the policies it would take to move technologies like these out of the fringes and into the mainstream.
Learn more: Fact Sheet | Version française
Economic modelling study for Canadian greenhouse gas targets
With strong policies, Canada can meet a 2°C target in 2020 and have a strong, growing economy, a quality of life higher than Canadians enjoy today, and continued steady job creation across the country.Climate Leadership, Economic Prosperity is the first Canadian study of its kind to show how reducing GHG emissions would affect employment and gross domestic product at the regional level. It also provides a comprehensive outline of policies that would enable Canada to meet both the federal government's current emissions target for 2020, and a more ambitious target derived from scientific analysis of the emission reductions needed to limit average global warming to 2°C.
Download: Report | Version française | Media Release | Technical Report
Policy Options to Reduce GHG Emissions
Choosing Greenhouse Gas Reduction Policies in Canada outlines a comprehensive suite of policies to enable federal and provincial governments to reduce GHG emissions effectively and efficiently. This in-depth analysis, commissioned by TD Economics, also reviews the real-world experience with the implementation of these policy options in Canada and internationally.
"The uncertainty around this vital issue poses a serious cost as businesses have little idea how to factor future environmental policies into their planning."
Download: Report | Media Release
Canada's Rank Among International GHG Polluters
This assessment of federal climate policies was used to calculate Canada's score in an international assessment of countries' performance in fighting climate change. Canada's climate policies and emissions earned a rank of 56th out of the 57 countries comprising the world's biggest emitters of GHG pollution.
"Canada's climate performance could hardly be worse, and we're still moving in the wrong direction."
Download: Evaluation | Media Release
Far from "Turning the Corner": the Federal Plan to Regulate Industrial GHG Emissions
Pembina's analysis of the federal government's "Turning the Corner" plan to regulate industrial GHG emissions found a series of fundamental weaknesses — notably, delayed emission reductions, minimal obligations for oilsands companies, double counting, and a failure of policies to add up to the government's emissions target for 2020.
Loopholes in the Proposed Federal GHG Offset System
The Pembina Institute's analysis of the federal government's proposed GHG offset system uncovered a series of loopholes that could allow Canada's actual emissions to exceed regulated targets by millions of tonnes.
"Just as lax financial accounting rules create fictional profits, lax emissions accounting rules create fictional emission reductions."
Download: Media Release | Submission | Letter
More...