A flare stack lights the sky from an oil refinery in Edmonton in 2018. A new study from the Pembina Institute found that the approach to climate action in Canada was piecemeal, with glaring gaps that urgently needed to be addressed.JASON FRANSON/The Canadian Press
Alberta and Saskatchewan are lagging behind other Canadian jurisdictions in reducing their greenhouse gas emissions, while British Columbia and Ottawa lead the pack, according to a new study that examines climate policies and actions across the country.
The report, All Together Now, revisits a 2021 assessment of climate policy making across Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial governments by the Pembina Institute, an environmental think tank. That study found that the approach to climate action in Canada was piecemeal, with glaring gaps that urgently needed to be addressed.
There have been signs of progress. Canada’s overall emissions have started to meaningfully decline, according to the new report released Wednesday, falling by 7.1 per cent since 2005.
However, some governments continue to do far less than others, said Sarah McBain, a senior analyst who helped pen the report.
Five years away from the deadline to meet targets set by the Paris Agreement on climate change, Canada is on track to reduce its emissions “by a lot, but not enough,” Ms. McBain said in an interview.
Ms. McBain’s hope is that the results of the latest score card from Pembina will encourage Canadian governments that are making progress to stay the course. And for those that aren’t, it will demonstrate that there are attainable and well-designed policies already in place in other jurisdictions from which they can learn.
“Alberta and Saskatchewan have some easy wins that are available to them,” Ms. McBain said, particularly around changing building codes to develop low-carbon buildings, implementing sales incentives and regulations for zero-emission cars and freight vehicles, and creating economic plans that will support workers through the energy transition.
“There’s opportunity to really look at those who are leading with this report. It shows where to go for advice, to see other governments that are proposing attainable and well-designed policies in the real world,” she said.
The report assessed jurisdictional performance by using a broad range of indicators that represent the best practices in climate and energy policy.
Both Alberta and Saskatchewan fall behind other jurisdictions on many of those, including accountability on climate policies, transportation, green buildings and electricity. Saskatchewan is also the only province without a comprehensive plan and policy to support the transition to a clean economy, and no road map to phase out coal by 2030.
Sam Sasse, of Saskatchewan’s executive council, said in an e-mail that the province acknowledges the significance of the changing climate and has taken steps to address the associated challenges and effects.
Mr. Sasse pointed to 40 commitments in place designed to increase Saskatchewan’s climate resilience, as well as several measures to reduce emissions, including its Methane Action Plan, the Oil and Gas Emissions Management Regulations, the Output Based Performance Standards and the Saskatchewan Technology Fund.
At the top of the report card is B.C., showing strong results in the most areas with a wide range of policies and plans in place.
The federal government comes second, followed by Quebec.
Federal Energy Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said in an interview that the report shows promising progress. And he wasn’t surprised by the jurisdictional ranking – particularly for Saskatchewan, which he said doesn’t have a climate plan or targets, or a pathway to achieve net zero.
“The point that they make in the report is provinces that don’t rank that highly perhaps can look at provinces that do, and learn some of the things that are being done. I think that’s always useful,” he said.
He was also pleased to see the report emphasize the importance of governments thinking about climate policy as economic policy.
Ms. McBain agreed. “In 2024, climate policy is economic policy – these things are very tied together,” she said.
While each jurisdiction faces unique challenges and opportunities when it comes to climate policy, the report says, “all governments should be held equally accountable and work together” to reduce emissions and help Canada meet its targets, focusing on areas where there is the greatest scope for rapid, deep emissions reductions.