Trudeau Liberals miss another climate change target

There are three things you can be sure of in life — death, taxes and that the federal Liberals will miss their next target on climate change.

After all, they’ve been doing it going back to 1993.

And last week, they did it again.

Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault announced the Trudeau government will miss the very first deadline contained in its own legislation, the ironically named “Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act.”

It says the environment minister “must establish an emissions reduction plan for 2030 within six months after the day on which this Act comes into force.”

That was June 29, 2021.

Six months would have been Dec. 29, 2021, but Guibeault announced last week the government won’t be able to hit its self-imposed deadline so the new one is on or before March 29, 2021, since the government needs more time to consult with interested parties.

It’s not a violation of the act because the legislation says, “The minister may, in a decision containing reasons and made available to the public, extend the time limit … by 90 days.”

But let’s not kid the troops. When the entire purpose of your legislation is to explain how the government will achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and it misses its very first target date to explain how it will reduce Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions by 40% to 45% below 2005 levels by 2030, it doesn’t bode well for the future.

Then again, missing deadlines is nothing new for the Liberals.

In 1993, prime minister Jean Chretien set a target of reducing Canada’s emissions to 20% below 1988 levels by 2005.

Canada’s emissions in 1988 were 588 million tonnes, making his 2005 target 470 million tonnes.

In 2005, after 12 years under the Liberals, Canada’s annual emissions were 739 million tonnes, missing Chretien’s target by 269 million tonnes, or 57%.

In 1998, Chretien signed the United Nations’ Kyoto accord to reduce emissions to an average of 6% below 1990 levels from 2008-2012.

Canada’s emissions in 1990 were 602 million tonnes, making Chretien’s 2012 target 566 million tonnes.

When the Liberals lost power in January, 2006 Canada’s emissions as of the end of 2005 were 739 million tonnes, meaning the Liberals missed Chretien’s target by 31%.

Chretien’s top political aide Eddie Goldenberg acknowledged in 2007 that when Chretien agreed to Canada’s target under Kyoto in 1998, the Liberals knew they couldn’t achieve it.

When the Liberals returned to power in 2015, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau set a target of reducing Canada’s emissions to 17% below 2005 levels by 2020 and 30% below 2005 levels by 2030, which he subsequently increased to 40% to 45% by 2030 and net zero by 2050.

Canada’s emissions in 2005 were 739 million tonnes, meaning Trudeau’s target for 2020 was 613 million tonnes.

For 2019, the last year for which government data are available, Canada’s emissions were 730 million tonnes meaning Trudeau is currently 19% behind his 2020 target.

When Canada’s emissions for 2020 are reported next year (typically in April), it’s expected there will be a significant drop because of the economic impact of the COVID recession.

But it’s not expected to be enough for Trudeau to meet his 2020 target and this year emissions are rising again in Canada and around the world.

To be fair, the Conservative have missed every emission target they’ve set since 1988, which goes to show how unrealistic and unattainable all these targets have been.