Oil and SUVs: Why Canada’s emissions have risen since Trudeau took office

(Climate Home News, 16 Sep 2021) After a summer of unprecedented heatwaves and fires, climate change will be at the forefront of many Canadians’ minds when they vote in the federal election on Monday.

As well as looking at the parties’ manifestos, they will be judging the record of six years of government by Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party.

In 2015, a month after taking over from Conservative climate sceptic Stephen Harper, Trudeau told the Paris climate conference: “Canada can and will do more to address the global challenge of climate change.”

But, over the next four years, Canada’s emissions increased to their highest level in decades. Canada is the only G7 country to have increased its emissions since the Paris Agreement.

When asked about this in election debates, Trudeau blamed his predecessor. “We inherited a government from Conservatives that did not believe in the fight against climate change and had a lot of catching up to do,” he said.

Isabelle Turcotte, the Ottawa-based director of federal policy at the Pembina Institute, agreed that Trudeau’s government was hamstrung by its predecessor’s legacy. “It takes time to turn a big boat around,” she said.

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Climate Home News, 16 Sep 2021: Oil and SUVs: Why Canada’s emissions have risen since Trudeau took office

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