IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Environmental groups release recommendations for federal/provincial equivalency agreements on Canadian climate policies
Unceded Algonquin Anishinaabe Territories [OTTAWA] (April 23, 2019): – Six Canadian environmental groups released a series of recommendations today that would ensure consistent quality and performance of Canadian climate policies as they are implemented across federal and provincial jurisdictions.
Methane emissions, coal-fired electricity, and standards regarding the use of clean fuels in transportation, industry, and buildings: each of these areas of Canadian climate policy are ones in which some provincial governments are developing independent approaches that will be measured against standards set by the federal government.
Canadian law allows federal and provincial governments to sign equivalency agreements if provincial regulations would achieve equivalent or better environmental outcomes as federal regulations. There is, however, little precedent and no standard method for judging equivalency.
Given the limited history and mixed results of equivalency agreements in Canada, Climate Action Network – Réseau action climat Canada, Centre Québécois du doit de l’environment, Ecology Action Centre, Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, Environmental Defence, and the Pembina Institute propose a clear set of expectations for federal-provincial equivalency agreements arising from the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change (PCF).
The groups make 8 recommendations in Setting Expectations for Robust Equivalency Agreements in Canada: A Position Paper on Federal-Provincial Equivalency Agreements Regarding the PCF:
1) For climate regulations requiring GHG reductions, amend CEPA 1999 to include a legislative test for equivalency; 2) Ensure enforcement; 3) Set floors, not ceilings; 4) Ensure increasing ambition over time; 5) Ensure flexibility and drive progress; 6) Include accountability measures; 7) Ensure fairness in single-sector approaches; 8) Ensure health and environmental outcomes are considered.
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CONTACT: Catherine Abreu, Executive Director, CAN-Rac Canada | +1 902 412 8953 catherineabreu@climateactionnetwork.ca
You can view or download the full report here.
