PROTECTING OUR ENVIRONMENT
A Lot Of Progress, But More Work Ahead
We’ve achieved a lot over the past for years to fight climate change and protect our environment, more than any government in history.
Whether it is the $1.2 million investment to the Nova Scotia Nature Trust, restoring the St. Mary’s River to protect critical salmon habitat, or the historic investment of $100 Million to clean up Boat Harbour, our government knows that we have a serious responsibility to protect our environment for future generations. In fact, we’ve implemented over 50 measures to fight climate change but, we know there is a lot of work left to do. Our platform for 2019 includes things like:
A Net-Zero Emissions Future
We will achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
When it comes to fighting climate change, one thing is clear: doing less costs people more. The best way through the climate emergency we are all facing is forward – toward a net-zero emissions future. Net-zero emissions – where there are no carbon emissions, or where emissions are completely offset by other actions that remove carbon from the atmosphere, such as planting trees – are essential to keeping the world our children and grandchildren grow up in safe and liveable. To help achieve this goal by 2050, we will:
• set legally-binding, five-year milestones, based on the advice of the experts and consultations with Canadians, to reach net-zero emissions;
• appoint a group of scientists, economists, and experts to recommend the best path to get to net-zero;
• exceed Canada’s 2030 emissions goal by introducing new carbon reducing measures; and
• ensure energy workers and communities can shape their own futures by introducing a Just Transition Act, giving workers access to the training, support, and new opportunities needed to succeed in the clean economy.
A Price On Pollution And A Real Climate Plan
We will continue to lead with a price on pollution and a plan to help reduce emissions.
Climate change is already having a serious and irreversible effect on people, on our communities, and on our economy. We can’t afford half-measures or a wait-and-see approach.
That’s why, starting this year, it is no longer free to pollute anywhere in Canada. We put a price on pollution to help reduce emissions, and introduced a new rebate system that puts more money back in the pockets of Canadians. We will build on our national climate plan with new measures to help move Canada toward a net-zero emissions future, including strengthening existing rules to cut emissions from Canada’s biggest polluters, including oil and gas.
Natural Climate Solutions
We will plant two billion trees to clean our air and protect our communities.
Canada’s vast forests, grasslands, and wetlands help clean our air, safeguard our water, and provide a home to wildlife. But just as nature is under threat from climate change, it can also be a critical ally in the fight against it. Natural climate solutions like planting trees and protecting grasslands can help us get closer to reaching our targets for lower emissions. To better support healthy ecosystems that help fight climate change, we will move forward with an ambitious plan to plant two billion trees over 10 years. This will help create about 3,500 seasonal jobs in tree planting each year, and will be part of a $3 billion commitment to better conserve and restore forests, grasslands, agricultural lands, wetlands, and coastal areas. As part of this commitment, we will also help cities expand and diversify their urban forests, will invest to protect Canada’s trees from infestations, and will help rebuild our forests after a wildfire.
The New Climate Reality
We will help people and communities deal with the realities of increased climate-related risks and disasters.
Canadians know all too well that a changing climate comes with real risks to our safety, to our homes, and to our ability to make ends meet. To help people get ready for climate risks and realities, we will move forward with programs that help protect against some of the worst effects of climate change. We will:
• protect homeowners who are at high risk of flooding and don’t have adequate insurance protection, by creating a low-cost national flood insurance program;
• help Canadians better understand the risks they face when they buy a home, by working with provinces and territories to complete all flood maps in Canada; and
• develop a national action plan to assist homeowners with potential relocation for those at the highest risk of repeat flooding.
Disaster Response
We will make sure that people get the help they need when there is a federally declared disaster or emergency.
The cost of climate change is undeniable. In Canada, we’ve paid out more in the last six years in response to floods and wildfires than we have in the past 40 years combined – and that doesn’t include the financial and emotional toll that disasters take on people, when crops go unplanted and homes are destroyed. To help people whose jobs and livelihoods are affected when disaster strikes, we will move forward with a new Employment Insurance Disaster Assistance Benefit, to be developed in consultation with experts, workers, and employers. This new benefit will launch in 2021 and will help replace the income that is lost when families need to temporarily stop working to protect their homes, or because they need to relocate to safety. Building on the $2 billion we have already invested in helping communities prepare for and prevent weather related disasters like floods and fires, we will move forward with an additional $1 billion investment over the next decade in the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund, so communities have a proactive, permanent and sustainable way to address the emerging threats of climate change.
Clean Energy Transition
We will invest every dollar we earn from the Trans Mountain Expansion Project in Canada’s clean energy transition.
It is estimated that additional federal corporate income tax revenues resulting from the Trans Mountain Expansion Project could generate $500 million per year once the project has been completed. This money, as well as any profit from the sale of the pipeline, will be invested in natural climate solutions and clean energy projects that will power our homes, businesses, and communities for generations to come.
Energy Efficient Homes And Lower Energy Bills
We will help make energy efficient homes more affordable, and help lower monthly energy bills.
Today, many Canadians live in homes that aren’t energy efficient – which means higher utility bills and more pollution. At the same time, more and more homes are in danger of being destroyed from an ever-increasing number of floods and wildfires. It’s expensive to adapt to a changing climate, and we are going to help. To make life more affordable for Canadians, cut our emissions, and protect the environment, we will move forward with a plan to:
• help retrofit 1.5 million homes to help Canadians make their homes more energy efficient, and better protect them from climate-related risks;
• give interested homeowners and landlords a free energy audit;
• help homeowners and landlords pay for retrofits by giving them an interest-free loan of up to $40,000;
• help people buy newly built homes that are certified zero-emissions by giving them a Net Zero Homes Grant of up to $5,000; and
• invest $100 million in skills training, to ensure there are enough qualified workers to keep up with energy audits, retrofits, and net-zero home construction.
To help Canadians save more on their monthly energy bills, we will also move forward with making Energy Star certification mandatory for all new home appliances starting in 2022.
And to help make large commercial buildings more energy efficient, we will move forward with a national competition to create four $100-million long-term funds to help attract private capital that can be used for deep retrofits of large buildings, such as office towers.
Zero-Emission Vehicles
We will make it easier and more affordable for people to use zero-emission vehicles.
Whether picking kids up from school, doing grocery shopping, visiting with friends, or making a delivery to customers, people and businesses need practical and cost-effective ways to get around. Zero-emission vehicles are a good solution – provided we have the right kind of infrastructure to support them.
To make using zero-emission vehicles easier, we will move forward – in partnership with industry and communities – to install up to 5,000 charging stations along the Trans Canada Highway and other major road networks, and in Canada’s urban and rural areas. Northern communities, as well as apartments and condominiums, will also be included – connecting people and communities from coast to coast to coast.
As more and more people buy zero-emission vehicles, there will be a growing market of used vehicles for sale. To make buying a used zero-emission vehicle more affordable, we will expand the incentive that already exists for buying new zero-emission cars. This will provide a 10 per cent rebate on a used zero-emission vehicle up to a maximum value of $2,000.
To help communities transition to using more zero-emission vehicles, we will require that new federal investments in public transit are used to support zero-emission buses and rail systems starting in 2023, and will work with municipalities to address any exceptional circumstances. Working in partnership with the provinces and territories, we will also move forward with a new fund to help more school boards and municipalities purchase 5,000 zero-emissions school and transit buses over the next five years.
And to encourage more businesses to make the transition to zero-emission vehicles, we will explore measures to support the conversion of business fleets, such as those used by taxi and courier companies, and industrial vehicles, like mining trucks.
Clean, Affordable Power
We will work to make clean, affordable power available in every Canadian community.
Canada is home to an abundant supply of clean and renewable sources of power – including hydro, wind, and solar – but in some places we lack the infrastructure to get this clean power to people’s homes and businesses in a reliable, affordable way. In addition to the impact this can have on the environment, this limits our ability to share energy resources in a way that benefits everyone.
To help bring clean and affordable power to more communities, we will move forward with new clean electricity generation and transmission systems, in partnership with the provinces, territories and others. We will move forward with a new $5-billion Clean Power Fund. This fund will help support the electrification of Canadian industries, including our resource and manufacturing sectors, and make Canada home to the cleanest mills, mines, and factories in the world.
The Clean Power Fund will also help support the transition of northern, remote, and Indigenous communities off reliance on diesel-fueled power and onto clean, renewable, reliable energy. This will be sourced through the Canada Infrastructure Bank’s existing resources.
Cleaner Marine Shipping
We make Canada’s major ports among the cleanest and most efficient in the world.
Canada’s coastal communities are home to people who work hard, and who help keep local and regional economies strong and growing. At the same time, around the world, marine shipping is a significant source of carbon emissions – something that threatens everyone’s well-being. That’s why we have moved forward with a significant pilot project that will deliver quieter, lower-emissions tankers for transporting oil from the Trans Mountain pipeline.
To help make Canada’s ports some of the world’s cleanest in the world, we will support efforts that convert ships from heavy oil and diesel, such as the ferries serving Canada’s coastal communities. We will work with partners over the next year to design and introduce appropriate programs.
A New Generation of Campers
We will help every Canadian child learn how to camp.
Around the world, young people are speaking out – demanding that their governments take bold action to protect nature and the future of our planet. One of the best ways to encourage this inspiring climate leadership is by helping the next generation of Canadian kids experience Canada’s natural beauty firsthand.
To give every Canadian child the chance to learn how to camp by the time they reach grade eight, we will move forward with expanding the successful Learn to Camp program. This will make it possible for 400,000 kids each year to learn basic camping skills.
To make sure that our National Parks are accessible to all families no matter their economic circumstances, we will also move forward with giving 75,000 less privileged children and their families an up to four-night trip to one of Canada’s national or provincial parks. This will include camping accommodations and a travel bursary of up to $2,000 so that families can more easily afford a once-in-a-lifetime trip to more national parks, like Banff, Forillon, Gros Morne, and the Cape Breton Highlands.
We will also partner with VIA Rail to make these opportunities accessible and affordable for more families.
More Conservation
We will protect 25 per cent of Canada’s land and 25 per cent of Canada’s oceans by 2025.
Canada has the longest coastline in the world, one-fifth of the world’s fresh water, and vast and wild forests – but climate change puts them all at risk. It’s more important than ever to protect the natural landscape we all know and love.
To protect more of Canada for our kids and grandkids to enjoy, we will move forward with an ambitious plan to conserve 25 per cent of Canada’s land and 25 per cent of Canada’s oceans by 2025, working toward 30 per cent in each by 2030.
We will ground these efforts in science, Indigenous knowledge, and local perspectives, and will advocate for countries around the world to set a 30 per cent conservation goal as well.
A Ban On Single-Use Plastics
We will continue efforts to reduce plastics and protect people from harmful chemicals.
Our landfills, our shorelines, and the oceans we share with others are no place for plastic. To reduce plastic pollution, we are taking steps to ban harmful single-use plastics. This builds on our existing ban on products with plastic microbeads, which threaten the health of our lakes, oceans, and wildlife.
We will also move forward with new standards and targets for businesses that manufacture plastic products or sell items with plastic packaging, to make sure they take full responsibility for collecting and recycling their plastic waste. And to better protect people from toxins, and other pollution, we will move forward to further strengthen Canada’s Environmental Protection Act.
Fresh Water
We will keep Canada’s fresh water safe and clean, even in a changing climate.
No resource is more important to people than fresh, clean water – our lives and livelihoods depend on it. At the same time, the serious and damaging effects of climate change – from storms and floods to wildfires and droughts – threaten our ability to properly manage this precious resource.
To ensure that Canada is better prepared to protect and manage our fresh water in a changing climate, we will move forward with a new Canada Water Agency. The Agency will work together with the provinces and territories, Indigenous communities, local authorities, scientists, and others to find the best ways to keep our water safe, clean, and well-managed.
We will also continue to move forward with greater protection for the Great Lakes – the largest body of fresh water on Earth – and other large lakes like Lake Winnipeg.
Healthy Oceans
We will protect the health of Canada’s oceans.
From coast to coast to coast, the health of Canada’s oceans matters – to the people whose livelihoods depend on them and to the marine species, including whales and commercial fishing stocks, that cannot exist without them.
To protect these important waters, we have moved forward with some of the strongest ocean conservation and protection plans in the world.
To keep Canada’s oceans healthy, we will move forward with more investments in marine science and fighting invasive species, and will work with coastal communities, Indigenous communities, and others to better protect fish stocks and marine habitats from changes resulting from climate change. This will include introducing Canada’s first-ever Aquaculture Act. In British Columbia, we will work with the province to develop a responsible plan to transition from open net pen salmon farming in coastal waters to closed containment systems by 2025.