Liberal government under Carney must walk the talk on climate at home and abroad

OTTAWA | TRADITIONAL, UNCEDED TERRITORY OF THE ALGONQUIN ANISHNAABEG PEOPLE — Canada’s newly elected Liberal government must step into a greater climate leadership role on the international stage and make smart choices at home in the face of compounding challenges, leaders at environmental advocacy organization Stand.earth said today. 

As communities in Canada contend with more extreme weather fueled by the climate crisis on top of the cost-of-living crisis, it’s imperative that this government prioritize bold climate action to build a more resilient society for all.  

“In the face of economic upheaval and threats from the Trump administration, our new Prime Minister should draw inspiration from predecessors who championed courageous initiatives like eradicating landmines, developing peacekeeping operations, and protecting the ozone layer,” said Liz McDowell, Senior Campaigns Director at Stand. “As environmental and social protections get bulldozed in the United States, Canada must be vigilant to ensure that the same thing doesn’t happen here via rampant deregulation in the guise of ‘fast-tracking’. The best way for Prime Minister Mark Carney to fulfill his election promise of strengthening the Canadian economy is to create good, secure jobs by building out renewable energy infrastructure in a way that supports workers, respects Indigenous self-determination, and helps Canada meet our international climate commitments.” 

The oil and gas sector is by far the biggest polluting industry in Canada, representing 30% of greenhouse gas emissions while only contributing 3.2% to Canada’s GDP and employing less than 1% of all working people in the country. The previous Liberal government committed to cap the emissions from the oil and gas sector.

“Subsidies for the oil and gas industry – whether it’s for unproven carbon capture storage technology, or outright taxpayer handouts to sustain flailing LNG terminals – have got to stop,” said Kiki Wood, Senior Oil and Gas Campaigner at Stand. “These global oil and gas conglomerates are already making money hand over fist and shouldn’t need taxpayers to foot the bill to move these projects forward. An emissions cap for the oil and gas industry is a necessary first step to make sure polluters pay and that revenue is re-invested in a clean economy.”

The Liberal Party has left the door open to constructing new east-west pipelines to transport oil and gas to foreign and domestic markets. Meanwhile, its housing plan lacks a commitment to build new homes in a green way, without burning oil and gas for heating, which represents the third-largest source of emissions in Canada. 

“The moment for Canada to decrease its reliance on oil and gas is right now. We must make the transition to low-carbon homes and require that new buildings use modern, non-emitting heating systems. This is especially critical for the new homes that will be paid for with tax dollars – public funds should not be used to increase the country’s pollution,” said Lana Goldberg, SAFE Cities Climate Campaigner. “The new government must also allocate more funding to directly retrofit existing homes, making them safer, healthier, and more affordable to heat and cool. With such commitments, we can address housing needs, affordability, and our climate targets all at the same time.”

When it comes to highly-polluting fuels masquerading as clean energy sources, LNG is not the only false solution at odds with Canada’s climate commitments. The previous Liberal government subsidized big biomass and planned to make burning forest biomass for electricity part of Canada’s clean energy strategy. Burning wood at utility scale to generate energy produces at least as much CO2 as coal at the smokestack per unit of energy produced. Meanwhile, sourcing practices of big biomass corporations are known to harm biodiversity and degrade primary forests in Canada and around the world. This, when forests and ecosystems in Canada are in a more precarious position than ever, and the previous government failed to protect species at risk like caribou. 

“For the past decade, the previous Liberal government failed to meet even basic legal obligations under the Species at Risk Act to prevent the extinction of iconic animals like caribou. We’ve seen the federal government subsidize harmful sectors like forest biomass, while promoting misinformation about the state of forests,” said Tegan Hansen, Senior Forest Campaigner at Stand. “From old growth forests in British Columbia to the northern boreal, forests are in crisis – and the new Liberal government needs to step up to the task, instead of continuing to be part of the problem.”

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Media contacts:

Arin de Hoog, Communications – Oil, Gas and Shipping | arin.dehoog@stand.earth

Kathryn Semogas, Communications – Northern Forests | kathryn.semogas@stand.earth