Canada: Trudeau government close to unveiling plan to hit net-zero emissions by 2050

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau signs the Paris Agreement on climate change at United Nations Headquarters in New York in 2016. (Mike Segar/Reuters)

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The federal government is set to introduce climate accountability legislation as early as next week to formally commit Canada to its target of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The long-awaited bill will set out mandatory national five year targets to cut emissions, starting in 2025. While the Liberal government has promised the five year targets will be legally binding, the legislation isn't likely to include an enforcement mechanism to ensure those targets are being met. The task of coming up with tools to enforce nationally legislated emissions targets likely would fall to a net zero advisory group the federal government has not yet established. One key hurdle facing Ottawa is getting the provinces on board with reporting mechanisms particularly the oil producing provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan still pursuing a court challenge of the federal price on carbon, which is set to rise to $50 a tonne by 2022.

Carbon output varies greatly from province to province. Most provinces emit between 10 and 20 tonnes per capita annually, while per capita emissions from Alberta and Saskatchewan are close to 70 tonnes.

The government's climate plan was approved by cabinet last month but critics remain concerned about Canada's path to net-zero, which would require significantly reducing the country's carbon emissions and offsetting the remaining emissions with other measures, such as planting trees or carbon sequestration.

Next month, the government is expected to roll out new standards for cleaner burning fuels which could account for about 15 per cent of Canada's greenhouse gas emissions reduction target and to begin sector by sector consultations to set reduction targets, offer incentives to increase the use of clean energy and develop the market for electric vehicles.

The federal government also has promised a national hydrogen strategy this fall a key component of its net-zero emissions strategy that would identify potential industrial uses for hydrogen as a fuel source.