With less than two weeks to go until election day, here’s all you need to know on where the parties stand on climate change and environmental policy. CUTRIC is working with Crestview Strategy to maximize the opportunities presented in each party’s platform and position our members well for engagement with the 43^rd Parliament.

Overview

This election, climate change is the issue on voters’ minds – a recent Ipsos poll found that 29% of Canadians view climate change as among the top 3 issues in determining how they’ll vote. Accordingly, each of the federal parties have presented environmental plans which put climate change action front and centre. Although each party has proposed a different response, significant opportunity exists regardless of who earns the most seats on October 21^st. Below is a summary of the key commitments from each of the parties.

CUTRIC is currently working with Crestview Strategy to navigate the new federal political landscape, mitigate risk, and maximize opportunities for our members.

Liberal Party of Canada Platform

Net Zero emissions by 2050: Ensure national emissions are completely offset by other actions that remove carbon from the atmosphere.

• Continue carbon pricing and build on the Pan-Canadian Framework to strengthen existing rules to cut emissions from Canada’s biggest polluters, including oil and gas.
• Set legally-binding five-year milestones for emissions reductions, to be reviewed by Parliament, similar to the United Kingdom.
• Appoint an expert group to recommend the best path forward.
• Exceed Canada’s Paris Agreement emissions targets of reducing national emissions by 30% below 2005 levels by 2030.
• Introduce a Just Transition Act to support workers and communities.

Cut corporate taxes in half for clean tech: Halve the corporate tax rate for businesses that develop technologies or manufacture products that have zero emissions.

Investing Trans Mountain profits: All profits will be invested in either clean energy projects to power homes, businesses and communities or into natural climate solutions.

Clean Power Fund: Establish a new $5-billion fund through existing Infrastructure Bank funds to support the development of new clean electricity generation and transmission systems; electrification of industries, including resource and manufacturing sectors; and transition Norther, remote and Indigenous communities off of diesel.

Greening Government Initiative: Require federal buildings to be powered completely by clean electricity by 2020, accelerating, by 3 years, the previous 2025 goal.

Conservative Party of Canada Platform

End the Federal Carbon Pricing Backstop: With immediate effect.

Achieve Canada’s Paris Agreement emissions targets: Reduce national emissions by 30% below 2005 levels by 2030.

Green Investment Standards: Set emissions standards for major emitters and require those companies to reduce their emissions to those limits. Those that emit more will be required to invest a set amount for every tonne of GHG emitted above the limit in research, development and adoption of emissions-reducing technology with the greatest potential to reduce emissions and offer a return on investment.

• Develop a Green Investment Standards Certification that outlines eligible investments

Major emitters: Expand the mandatory application of major emitters policy from facilities emitting 50 kt CO₂e to facilities emitting 40 per year.

• Require all companies falling under the regulation to report on their emissions.
• Establish an auditing function to ensure emitters are complying with regulations and that investments are incremental.

National Energy Corridor: Establish a single coast-to-coast corridor to expand the number of critical projects that are built and increase investor certainty.

Greening the Grid: Invest in smart grid technology and renewable power while being mindful of cost. Pursuing grid connection for Northern and remote communities and strategic provincial interconnections either project-by-project or through a National Energy Corridor.

NDP Platform

Declare a Climate Emergency: Establish ambitious, science-based greenhouse gas emissions reductions targets

Net carbon-free electricity by 2030: Move to 100% non-emitting electricity by 2050.

Canadian Climate Bank: Aimed at boosting investment in renewable energy, energy efficiency and low carbon technology. In addition, it will support grid interconnection and smart grid technology. There will be an emphasis on community-owned and operated clean energy projects.

Greening Government: Ensure that federal buildings use renewable energy and transition to ZEV fleets by 2025.

Clean technologies: Expand support and technological assistance to bring more innovative clean technologies to market and support Canadian manufacturing.

Electrify public transit and municipal fleets by 2030: Scale up low carbon transit and ZEV buses and trains.

Green Party Platform

Emissions reductions targets: Pass a Climate Change Law requiring a 60% emissions cut below 2005 levels by 2030, reaching net zero by 2050. Establish interim targets reviewed in 5-year intervals starting in 2025.

Transitioning to a Green Economy: Powered by renewable energy and measures well-being, rather than GDP, as a sign of progress.

Carbon pricing: Maintain a broad-based, revenue neutral carbon price on all sources of CO² pollution with revenues to be returned to Canadians as a dividend.

Industrial emissions: Set legal industrial emissions limits that decline over time with penalties for those that exceed thresholds.

No new projects: No new pipelines, or coal, oil or gas drilling or mining, including offshore wells, will be approved. Cancel TMX to redistribute the funding.

Pan-Canadian Energy Strategy: Moves toward a carbon-free energy system by 2050 by phasing out bitumen production for fuels by 2030-35, reduces energy demand across all sectors by 50% and secures Canadian energy security throughout the transition.

National Electrical Grid Strategy: 100% of electricity will come from renewables by 2030 and enable inter-provincial transmission interties. Building connections between Manitoba and western Ontario, as well as New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

Transport electrification: Expand electrification of transport across federal fleets, passenger ferries, Canada Post delivery vehicles.

Bloc Quebecois Platform

Reject Energy East and end fossil fuel subsidies.

Green Equalization: A fiscal reform that remodels the carbon pricing and equalization regime to tax polluting provinces above the national emissions per person average to redistribute to those that have invested in the transition.

Zero emissions law: Establish a law to increase ZEV uptake, 50% of the national total are already sold in Quebec, requiring each manufacturer to sell a minimum number of ZEVs.

Transport Electrification: Increase vehicle electrification for all federal fleet vehicles and expand rebates to promote the uptake of commercial ZEVs.