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Canada

Put us on a path to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050

national emission reduction target of 30% below 2020 levels from fertilizers and work with fertilizer manufacturers

Government is proposing to continue to put a price on carbon pollution, post-2022, by $15 per year to 2030.

Coalition is targeting a 45% reduction in methane emissions by 2025 and 60-75% by 2030.

Canada’s target to reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas sector by 40-45% by the year 2025

Investment target of $5 billion for clean power

Fleet Operations: Reduce scope 1 and 2 emissions 90% by 2050 relative to 2005 levels

75% of new domestic offices must be net-zero by 2030

reducing the embodied carbon of the structural materials of major construction projects by 30%, starting in 2025

conserve and protect 25% of Canada’s land and oceans (working toward 30% by 2030)

diverting at least 90% by weight of all construction and demolition waste from landfills and striving to achieve 100% by 2030

diverting at least 75% by weight of plastic waste from landfills by 2030

diverting at least 75% by weight of non-hazardous operational waste from landfills by 2030

Government properties will run on 100% renewables by 2025

Reduce emissions 10% each year after 2025

Emissions reduction target of 40 to 45% below 2005 levels by 2030

Government’s objective of adding 50,000 ZEV chargers to Canada’s network. NB: target year not specified.

ensure at least 20% of new light-duty vehicle sales will be zero-emission vehicles by 2026, at least 60% by 2030 and 100% by 2035

To reduce emissions from medium-and heavy-duty vehicles (MHDVs), the Government of Canada will aim to achieve 35% of total MHDV sales being ZEVs by 2030.

Medium- and heavy-duty zero emission vehicles:&nbsp;require 100% MHDV sales to be ZEVs by 2040 for a subset of vehicle types based on feasibility, with interim 2030 regulated sales requirements that would vary for different vehicle categories based on feasibility, and explore interim targets for the mid-2020s.

Projected contribution from the oil and gas sector of emission reductions to 31% below 2005 levels in 2030 (or to 42% below 2019 levels).&nbsp;

The government is also working to reduce oil and gas methane by at least 75% by 2030, support clean technologies to further decarbonize the sector, and working to create sustainable jobs.

Reductions expected from electricity&nbsp; 77%




Reductions expected from buildings&nbsp; 42%




Reductions expected from transport:&nbsp; 23%




Reductions expected from industry:&nbsp; 32%




Canada's Net Zero Emissions Accountability Act requires that the 2030 NDC target is adopted as a legal target. As of July 2021 the NDC target was 30% emissions reduction from 2005 levels by 2030.

The Government of Canada’s operations will be net-zero emissions by 2050 including: &nbsp;

government-owned and leased real propertymobility: fleets, business travel and commutingprocurement of goods and servicesnational safety and security operations

To implement net-zero in real property and fleet operations,
the Government of Canada will reduce absolute Scope 1 and Scope 2
GHG emissions by 40% by 2025 and by at least 90% below 2005 levels by 2050. On this emissions reduction pathway, the government will aspire to reduce emissions by an additional 10% each 5 years starting in 2025.

Net-zero means reducing GHG emissions from operations to as close to zero as possible and then balancing out any remaining emissions with an equivalent amount of carbon removal.

30% annual cut in GHG emissions--- by 2030 against a 2005 baseline

40-45% cut in methane emissions from oil and gas sector---by 2025

0% traditional coal in energy mix by 2030

On March 31, 2023, Climate Justice Saskatoon and seven Saskatchewan residents, aged between 15 and 80, filed an originating application in the Saskatchewan Court of King’s Bench against the Saskatchewan Power Corporation (SaskPower), the Crown Investments Corporation of Saskatchewan, and the Government of Saskatchewan. The applicants, represented collectively as Dykstra et al. v. Saskatchewan Power Corporation et al., challenged the provincial government’s decision to expand natural gas–fired electricity generation, alleging that it violates their rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The claim focuses on the construction of a new natural gas plant near Moose Jaw and plans for another near Lanigan. The applicants contend that these projects, along with the provincial Management and Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Regulations permitting SaskPower to increase its emissions, will exacerbate dangerous climate change. Saskatchewan has the highest greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per capita in Canada. The applicants argue that the resulting impacts infringe Section 7 rights to life and security of the person, and Section 15 equality rights, particularly for youth, who face disproportionate climate impacts. They seek declarations that these actions are unconstitutional and an order requiring SaskPower to adopt a reasonable target to decarbonize and achieve net-zero emissions as soon as possible.

The application is supported by expert evidence from climate scientists and policy specialists, including Dr. James E. Hansen, who has also testified before the International Court of Justice in its climate change advisory proceedings. The applicants draw on both domestic and international developments, noting parallels with other constitutional climate cases in Canada (such as Mathur and La Rose) and abroad (such as Held v. Montana).

Procedurally, the case has faced preliminary challenges. The Saskatchewan Environmental Society sought leave to intervene but was denied in August 2024, with the possibility to reapply if the main claim survives preliminary motions. Both the Government of Saskatchewan and SaskPower filed applications in September 2023 to strike the pleadings. The applicants amended their originating application on May 31, 2024, to further articulate their Section 7 claims and alleged infringements of the principles of fundamental justice. A special hearing on the strike applications took place on October 4, 2024, and Justice Kuski Basset reserved her decision. As of December 2024, no ruling has been issued.

Greenpeace Canada submitted a complaint to the Competition Bureau of Canada in March 2023 alleging that the Pathways Alliance’s “Let’s clear the air” advertising campaign makes false and/or misleading representations to the public.

Formed in 2021, the Pathways Alliance (Pathways) is a coalition of six of Canada’s largest oil sands producers: Canadian Natural Resources Limited, Cenovus Energy, ConocoPhillips Canada, Imperial, MEG Energy, and Suncor Energy. Collectively, these six companies produce 95% of Canada’s oil sands production and are responsible for 63% of Canada’s total daily oil production.

Greenpeace Canada alleges that Pathways’ claim that they are actively reducing emissions and helping Canada achieve its climate targets are false and misleading for the following four reasons: (1) Pathways’ net zero plan fails to incorporate the lifecycle of their produce and does not account for more than 80% of their emissions meaning that their own calculations do not result in them achieving net zero; (2) Pathways members claim to be “making strides toward net zero” but at the same time are expanding their fossil fuel production; (3) Pathways has indicated that the only issues facing their carbon capture and sequestration project are related to financing and regulatory approval but the technologies themselves are speculative; and (4) the representations give the impression that Pathways is a climate leader, but individually and through industry affiliation, Pathways members have advocated, advertised, and/or spoken against climate action in Canada.

Greenpeace Canada has asked the Competition Bureau to have Pathways: (1) remove all the representations about reducing emissions, achieving net zero, cleaning air, and combatting climate change; (2) issue a public retraction of these statement; and (3) pay a fine that is the greater of $10 million or 3% of worldwide gross revenues to organizations for the rehabilitation and clean-up of oil sands production.

The Competition Bureau has not yet made a determination.

In May 2023, Amberg Corp., along with its senior environmental regulatory coordinator, Olga Kiiker, were charged with 25 counts of: false and misleading information, providing functions of a third-party assurance provider without the required qualifications, and failing to comply with the rules and requirements set out in the Standard for Validation, Verification and Audit under the provincial Emissions Management and Climate Resilience Act and the Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction  Regulation.
In November 2023, Ms. Kiiker pleaded guilty to one count for knowingly providing false and misleading information pursuant to a requirement under the Emissions Management and Climate Resilience Act and all remaining charges against her were withdrawn. Ms. Kiiker was sentenced to pay a $10,000 fine inclusive of the victim surcharge. She is also prohibited from engaging in any employment that may involve collecting, analyzing, reporting, validating, verifying or auditing environmental data for three years and was ordered to prepare an article for publication in the Environmental Services Association of Alberta Weekly News publication in 2024 where she informs the public of the consequences of her mistakes as an environmental services provider.
No conclusion has been reached on the charges against Amberg Corp.

The Applicants, three environmental non-profit organizations, challenged the decision of the federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change to approve the environmental assessment report of the Bay du Nord Development Project, an offshore oil production project in the Atlantic Ocean. The Applicants claimed that the Minister’s decision was unreasonable because it is based on a report that fails to consider the downstream impacts of GHG emissions and marine shipping of oil from the project. The Applicant’s also claimed that the Minister’s decision was invalid because the Crown failed to properly consult and accommodate the Mi’gmawe’l Tplu’taqnn Incorporated (“MTI”), a not-for-profit organization representing eight Mi’gmaq communities in New Brunswick, on marine shipping.

The Federal Court concluded that the Minister’s decision was reasonable and the Crown had met its duty to consult before reaching the decision under review and dismissed the application.
On the failure to consider the impacts of downstream GHG emissions and marine shipping, the Court found that downstream greenhouse gas emissions were not within the legislative authority of Parliament, as they could occur anywhere in the world and for various purposes, and the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (“Agency”) would be speculating if it tried to assess them. The Court also found that the Agency’s decision was consistent with previous regulatory decisions that did not require the consideration of downstream GHG emissions, and the Agency had a wide margin of appreciation in determining the scope of the project.

On the failure to consult, the Court found that the Crown had met its duty to consult before reaching the decision under review. The Court held that the Agency had reasonably determined the degree of consultation required based on the low level of potential impacts and the unlikeliness of such impacts to the rights held by the groups represented by MTI, and further found that the Agency had provided MTI with multiple opportunities to raise their concerns and provide comments, which were considered and responded to by the Agency and the Minister. The Court found that the Crown was not required to agree with the concerns raised by MTI or to reach agreement or perfection in the consultation process.

In September 2023, the Applicants announced that they have filed an appeal in the Federal Court of Appeal.

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