With days left before the federal election in Canada and six weeks to go before the international climate talks in Paris, it seems timely to look at what the four national political parties are saying on climate change. A recent report from Environmental Defence and Equiterre summarizes where the parties stand on a variety of climate change policy issues, including renewable energy development, energy efficiency programs, strategies on public transit and the electrification of our transportation system.
Globally, Canada is seen as a laggard on climate policy. This site shows how Canada’s commitments compare to other industrialized nations and summarizes the ways in which Canada has diverged from the pack, leaving “other major industrialised countries on the hook to make bigger cuts in their carbon pollution – or else risk falling even further behind the goal of limiting warming to 2C.”
It will be the leader of the winning party on October 19th who will attend COP21 six weeks later, representing Canada at the most significant climate negotiation since Kyoto. Let’s hope Canada shows up with a leader committed to making significant cuts to our emissions and supporting the transition towards a decarbonized economy.