Since the Liberals signed the Kyoto Accord in 1997, although they have continued to put forward a climate change agenda, they have failed over more than 20 years utterly to meet their own climate change targets or even come close. This was true under the Chretien and Martin Liberals and remains true today with the Trudeau Liberal government and their greenhouse emission reduction targets and the Paris Agreement.
Canada was active in the negotiations that led to the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, and the Liberal government that signed the accord in 1997 also ratified it in parliament in 2002.[2] Canada's Kyoto target was a 6% total reduction by 2012 compared to 1990 levels of 461 Megatonnes (Mt) (Government of Canada (GC) 1994). However, in spite of some efforts, federal indecision led to increases in greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) since then.[citation needed] Between the base year (1990) and 2008 Canada's GHG increased by around 24.1%.
For those who argue that this the Conservatives fault, the data below shows that the Liberals clearly failed to have their actions match their words on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from 1997 through the terms of the Chretien and Martin governments.
Canada is "one of the highest per-capita emitters in the OECD and has higher energy intensity, adjusted for purchasing power parity, than any IEA country, largely the result of its size, climate (i.e. energy demands), and resource-based economy. Conversely, the Canadian power sector is one of OECD's lowest emitting generation portfolios, producing over three-quarters of its electricity from renewable energy sources and nuclear energy combined." Canada GHG emissions increased from 1997 through 2001, dipped in 2002, increased again, then decreased in 2005. During the periods the Liberals were in power from 1997 to 2005 (they were defeated in January 2006 so it is not fair to look at the brief time they were in office that year) emissions increased on an almost continuous basis. Emissions actually declined somewhat for a couple of years under the Conservatives, but that was primarily due to the recession reducing economic activity rather than any climate action on their part.
- 1990 (461 Mt) (GC 1994)
- 1997 (671 Mt megatonne)
- 1998 (677 Mt)
- 2000 (716 Mt)
- 2001 (709 Mt)
- 2002 (715 Mt)
- 2003 (738 Mt)
- 2004 (742 Mt)
- 2005 (747 Mt) 33% higher than the Kyoto target
- 2006 (719 Mt)
- 2007 (748 Mt)
- 2008 (732 Mt)
- 2009 (690 Mt)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_and_the_Kyoto_Protocol
Even when Trudeau reached the Paris Agreement in December 2015, it was clear they could not meet the targets it had signed onto. Even when all he was doing was adopting the Harper Conservative goverment's targets, as the following article illustrates. However, it all sounded good and made it look like the Trudeau Liberals were dealing meaningfully with climate change.
https://torontosun.com/2016/09/19/why-trudeau-who-has-adopted-harpers-gr...
Once again the Liberals kept repeating that they were "absolutely committed" to their 2020 targets. When the auditor general told them they cannot meet their 2020 targets, their answer is they are "absolutely committed" to their 2030 targets. Considering the fact that emissions are continuing to rise even before their Trans Mountain pipeline that they did not have to buy comes online to further increase emissions, these reassurances are laughable.
https://www.cpacanada.ca/en/news/canada/2018-09-18-canada-failing-to-red...
While the NDP needs to answer some serious questions about their climate change plan, the track record of failure on climate change for the Liberals for more than twenty years was once again brought home by the Environment Commissioner Gelfand's report just last month. As Gelfand notes, the failure to meet targets has been common to both Liberal and Conservative governments.
Why would anyone believe anything the Liberals or Conservatives say on global warming given their track record?
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/environment-commissioner-julie-gelfand-...
In 2017, Canada's greenhouse gas emissions went up once again under the Trudeau Liberals. A november 2018 report notes that Canada is the world's largest per capita greenhouse gas emitter in the G20. What a Liberal greenhouse gas emissions reductions plan!
https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2018/11/14/canada-produces-most-gree...
The Liberals have also increased the greenhouse emission exemptions for Canada's largest emitters, thereby shifting more of the financial costs of dealing with reducing emissions onto middle and working class Canadians.
https://business.financialpost.com/commodities/energy/citing-competitive...
The Trudeau Liberal government in giving the exemptions to the largest greenhouse gas emitters in Canada have once again subsidized the fossil fuel industry, something that has continued on an ongoing basis under both Liberal and Conservative governments. As the following article shows, the Liberals' carbon tax will only go a very small way toward reducing emissions.
Furthermore, tar sands production under current plans is set to almost double by 2038, as noted below!
https://nowtoronto.com/news/carbon-tax-climate-change-justin-trudeau/
And this is why the carbon tax is doomed to failure
The title of the following article says it all when it comes to determing how effective the Trudeau Liberal's climate change policies have been : "Canada on pace to meet climate change targets ... two centuries late"
https://www.nationalobserver.com/2019/04/25/analysis/canada-pace-meet-pa...
The following graph illustrates how Conservative and Liberal governments have increased greenhouse gas emissions over 30 years, while others such as the UK have decreased emissions by 38% in the same period.
UK v Canada emissions past and projected
Canada under the Trudeau Liberals continues to tax the fossil fuel companies at much lower rates than the vast majority of other countries, even autocratic corrupt states. This means that that tax money is not available for social programs or for converting Canada from fossil fuels to green renewable energy, leading Canada to be called a tax haven for oil companies by one expert. At the same time, the fossil fuel industry has been lobbying for even more tax breaks, which is exactly what they got when the Trudeau Liberals uped the exemption on greenhouse gas from 70% to 90%.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/true-north/2017/oct/26/revealed-...
A group of young Quebecois are taking the Trudeau federal Liberal government to court in an attempt to launch a class-action lawsuit for its failure to effectively fight global warming.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/young-quebecers-class-action-cli...
What do you mean the Liberals aren't fighting global warming? Look what our Prime Minister has to say about combating the use of plastic water bottles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMJ8UJ8wEiY
Man's a genius if you ask me. Shakespeare level oratory skills right there.
Rachel Aiello, CTV News:
BREAKING: The House of Commons has just passed a motion declaring that Canada is experiencing a climate change emergency. It passed with support from the Liberals, NDP, Greens, and Bloc. Conservatives and Bernier voted against. #cdnpoli
https://twitter.com/rachaiello/status/1140781269296590849
Low hanging fruit.
The Liberals declare a climate emergency yesterday and then announce the tripling of the Trans Mountain pipeline to carry bitumen to the coast bringing about a massive expansion of the fossil fuel production. Trudeau won the understatement of the year award today when he said "Not everyone will agree with this".
Environment and Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna called climate change a “real and urgent crisis, driven by human activity,” requiring the government to make deep emissions reductions to meet its Paris commitments. The Liberals have failed previously failed to meet their greenhouse gas reduction goals of 1992, 1997, and 2005.
In March 2018 the auditor general concluded the Trudeau Liberal government "is likely to miss the 2020 Copenhagen target as well". (http://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/internet/English/parl_otp_201803_e_42883.html)
In April 2019 Environment Commissioner Julie Gelfand concluded "Canada is not on track to hit its 2030 target,". These targets were actually those of the Conservative Harper government. (https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/environment-commissioner-julie-gelfand-...)
Eugene Kung, lawyer with West Coast Environmental Law, and lead on the First Nations case against the pipeline commented on Trudeau's announcement that profits from the pipeline would be used to promote green energy: "That’s like saying we need to keep selling cigarettes to have money to fight cancer". Former Liberal Environment minister point out "There is no credible evidence to suggest that Asia is likely to be a reliable or a significant market for Alberta bitumen". (https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/wjvkqq/canada-justin-trudeau-declares...)
By the way "there are no refineries in Asia that can currently handle Canadian bitumen, which needs to be processed first into synthetic crude." (https://globalnews.ca/news/5399442/5-things-to-know-about-trans-mountain/) So the line that we will be able to sell it for higher prices in Asia is a myth.
The Liberal solution: declare a national climate emergency and immediately announce more pipeline and fossil fuel production. Does anybody see a pattern here?
Much like signing on to UNDRIP and then building pipelines across unceded territories prior to receiving consent. Of course they do argue that the brother of one of the hereditary chiefs supports it so that is consent, right?
Trudeau & the Liberals will have to explain to progressive & green voters why they have chosen to approve the pipeline. But they did commit to investing billions from the pipeline profits back into green energy projects. That's probably not something we would see from the Conservatives.
It's also interesting that Trudeau has attracted Quebec environmentalist Steven Guilbeault to run for the Liberals as a star candidate in Laurier-Sainte Marie.
Alec Castonguay reported today that Trudeau & Guilbeault will make an announcement in Laurier-Sainte Marie on Friday:
Steven Guilbeault se lance en politique aux côtés de Justin Trudeau
L’écologiste bien connu Steven Guilbeault annoncera vendredi matin qu’il brigue l’investiture libérale fédérale dans la circonscription de Laurier-Sainte-Marie, à Montréal.
https://lactualite.com/politique/steven-guilbeault-se-lance-en-politique-aux-cotes-de-justin-trudeau/
So, if anyone is wondering whether to vote Liberal in order to stop the even-worse Conservatives, the answer is YES. Thanks, Debater.
Once again you are taking about image, not action. "Star" candidates do not mean one has effective policy or effective action on an issue. I prefer to go on a government's record, rather than its "stars" or its campaign rhetoric. In that regard the Liberals, like the Conservatives, have been failures when it comes to climate change over the last 25 years. In March 218, the auditor general commented:
Instead of working on reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 461 Mt as the Chretien Liberals agreed to do in the 1997 Kyoto Accord, greenhouse gas emissions had increased from 671 Mt during the year of the signing of the Kyoto Accord had risen to 747 Mt in 2005 under the Chretien and Martin governments. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_and_the_Kyoto_Protocol)
The terrible Liberal record on greenhouse gas emissions reductions continued under another 2015 "star" candidate, the currentEnvironment and Climate Change Minister, Catherine McKenna. First of all, the Liberals simply adopted Harper's greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets, which they continually quote as those of the Paris Agreement, when the Paris Agreement says we need to keep the temperature rise to 1.5 degrees celsius, something scientists now agree will need to involve more than the 30% Conservative/Liberal proposed reduction goals by 2030.
In April 2019 Environment Commissioner Julie Gelfand concluded "Canada is not on track to hit its 2030 target". (https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/environment-commissioner-julie-gelfand-...)
I have some swamp land, I mean nice scenic land overlooking a wetlands, I can sell you. How stupid are you to think that this project is going to turn a profit let alone return billions of dollars. After that spin I must say, GO to Directly To Jail Do Not Pass GO.
Scheer has called actions on climate change hypocrisy. Unfortunately, he's right. However, his climate change plan is another act of hypocrisy Trudeau's declaration of a national climate change emergency followed by the announcement of the building of the Trans Mountain pipeline the following day just compounds the hypocrisy. As noted above, there was no way Trudeau's 2030 targets were going to be met, and of course that is also the case with Scheer's plan.
https://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/goldstein-scheers-climate-pled...
After McKenna called climate change a “real and urgent crisis, driven by human activity,” requiring the government to make deep emissions reductions to meet its Paris commitments and Trudeau declared a national climate emergency, the Liberals announced on the following day the building of the Trans Mountain pipeline, which cost $4.5 billion to buy and has already had its estimated construction costs rise 20% to $9.3 billion instead of being used to convert to renewable energy, which actually creates three times as many jobs on average per dollar invested.
It was just six days ago that the Parliamentary Budget Office said that a doubling of the price on carbon or equivalent measures "will be needed if Canada is to meet its Paris Agreement targets for greenhouse-gas emissions." (https://globalnews.ca/news/5386024/pbo-paris-targets-higher-carbon-tax/)
Eugene Kung, lawyer with West Coast Environmental Law, and lead on the First Nations case against the pipeline commented on Trudeau's announcement that profits from the pipeline would be used to promote green energy: "That’s like saying we need to keep selling cigarettes to have money to fight cancer". Former Liberal Environment minister point out "There is no credible evidence to suggest that Asia is likely to be a reliable or a significant market for Alberta bitumen". (https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/wjvkqq/canada-justin-trudeau-declares...)
Incidentally, "there are no refineries in Asia that can currently handle Canadian bitumen, which needs to be processed first into synthetic crude." (https://globalnews.ca/news/5399442/5-things-to-know-about-trans-mountain/)
The announcement of the Trans Mountain pipeline will generate more opposition both in the court and on the ground.
https://thetyee.ca/News/2019/06/18/Opponents-Slam-Approval-Trans-Mountai...
Another problem for the Trudeau Liberals is that despite their claims that they have put in place a "world class" spill response program, even the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation acknowledges "that even in ideal conditions in oceans around the world, only 10 to 15 per cent of spilled oil is likely to be recovered." Therefore, “The concept of world-class spill response is somewhat meaningless,” said Jay Ritchlin of the David Suzuki Foundation.
The 2015 oil spill in Vancouver Harbour, which was very small in comparison to what a large tanker spill would be, was a warning about what could happen and how poor the spill response measures were.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/b-c-oil-spill-response-t...
The Trudeau Liberals have another credibility problem when it comes to addressing climate change. When the Liberal federal fisheries minister, Jonathan Wilkinson, says "he doesn’t know about the “gaps” B.C. keeps saying exist in Ottawa’s oil spill response plan, though the province insists it has been highlighting them for more than a year," it is hard to believe him. This is particularly so when BC Environment Minister George Heyman provides detailed descriptions of what the five problems that have been under negotiation for over a year actually are (described in the article below).
https://vancouversun.com/news/politics/b-c-and-ottawa-still-sparring-ove...
The Trudeau government's declaration of a climate change emergency within two days of approving the Trans Mountain Pipeline is a form of climate change denial in the sense that this denies the urgency of dealing with the problem. Global warming has resulted in all 20 of the warmest years on record occurring during the last 22 years with 2015- 2018 already the warmest four year ever and 2019 set to add to that record (https://public.wmo.int/en/media/press-release/wmo-confirms-past-4-years-...); is raising alarm bells about a climate change induced global financial crisis of a similar magnitude to 2008 within the financial sector of the economy (https://www.cftc.gov/PressRoom/SpeechesTestimony/behnamstatement061219); and in a United Nations July 1st report warns of the loss of 80 million jobs by 2030 and the death of 38,000 people a year due to global warming (https://globalnews.ca/news/5449602/climate-change-un-jobs-heat/).
Meanwhile the Liberal carry on in the same manner as they have for 25 years, promising to introduce policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions greatly, while allowing them to grow and subsidizing the fossil fuel industry.
https://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2019/06/21/Trudeau-Climate-Policy-Inadequate/
The Trudeau Liberals have kept secret the $5 million in bonuses that its hand-picked board have designated for Trans Mountain execs in 2018. Another sign of the lack of transparency that has existed over the environmental reviews, purchase and construction of this pipeline, and, most important of all, the risks to the enviroment.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trans-mountain-executive-employee-bonus...