Unceded Anishinaabe Algonquin Territories [OTTAWA], 13 February 2025:
Yesterday, Canada submitted its 2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the United Nations, outlining its commitments towards the global climate effort for the next decade.
“At a time when multilateralism is under threat, it’s not insignificant that Canada is honouring our international commitments,” said Caroline Brouillette, Executive Director of Climate Action Network Canada. “But the level of ambition of this NDC is not going to impress our allies. Amid political uncertainty and rising climate disasters, the NDC offered the federal government an opportunity to show how Canada can pivot towards a safer, stronger future. Instead, this NDC falls back on a continued reliance on an extraction-based economy—ignoring the transformation we need for real independence, security and a safer future.
“As we see increasing rhetoric around new fossil fuel infrastructure in response to tensions with the United States, it’s important to remember that many oil and gas projects in Canada are backed by American interests with close ties to Donald Trump. These projects only benefit their corporate owners—not Canadians.
“The NDC also exposes the glaring gaps between the policies Canada has already implemented, and what’s still needed to reach our targets, much less our fair share of the global fight against climate change. Anyone who wants to be the next Prime Minister must show their plan for bridging those gaps—especially if they plan to tear down existing and planned climate policies.
“Environment and Climate Change Canada deserves credit for preparing a detailed NDC and submitting it by the deadline, which 90% of countries have failed to do. The quality sets a good standard for accountability and transparency, including the efforts of some provincial governments and recommendations from Indigenous Peoples, the Net-Zero Advisory Body and the public. But 188 pages of tables, annexes and expert advice cannot make up for the fundamental flaws in Canada’s weak target and ongoing dependence on fossil fuels.”
Last year, Climate Action Network Canada set out a series of recommendations for Canada’s 2035 NDC, building on our assessment of Canada’s fair share of emissions reductions. Here’s CAN-Rac’s assessment of how the NDC measures up against our benchmarks:
| CAN-Rac’s Ask | NDC |
|---|---|
| 1. Equity: Canada’s responsibility and capacity to contribute to the global response to climate change, considering equity and science. | Canada is contributing to the global response to climate change, but refuses to step up to the level of ambition that equity requires. A truly equitable target would push Canada to cut domestic emissions by 80% below 2005 levels by 2035.
The NDC points to both Internationally Traded Mitigation Outcomes and carbon dioxide removal as areas of exploration: neither of these can take the place of direct emissions reductions and a just transition away from fossil fuels at home. |
| 2. Upholding human rights and Indigenous Peoples’ rights: Canada’s NDC implementation must ensure all policies, measures and investments respond to the needs and aspirations of Indigenous Peoples. | Canada’s NDC recognizes that Indigenous Peoples are at the forefront of the climate crisis, and are leading on climate action from coast to coast to coast. The NDC commits to increasing funding for Indigenous climate action, under the guidance of several key recommendations synthesized from engagement with Indigenous peoples. At the same time, the NDC has no real engagement with the recommendations in the Indigenous Knowledge Annex. This exclusion minimizes the ethical and equitable engagement with Indigenous Knowledge systems, and excludes First Nations, Inuit, and Metis perspectives from climate policy-making. |
| 3. Rapid decarbonization: The announced targets and Canada’s willingness to exceed them for all sectors of the Canadian economy. | Canada’s NDC responds to the outcomes of the Paris Agreement’s first global stocktake, but lacks sectoral targets that would have ensured accountability for all sectors of the Canadian economy. |
| 4. Shifting financial flows: This is critically important to close the investment gap between current climate-related fiscal commitments and Canada’s need to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. | Canada’s climate spending falls far short of what’s needed. Canada should aim to triple bilateral international climate finance to $15.9 billion between 2026-2031, with full balance between mitigation and adaptation and aligned with the Feminist International Assistance Principles. |
| 5. Nature-focused NDC that increases resilience, social and health co-benefits: Canada’s explicit commitment to build resilience, advance climate literacy and action, save lives and protect, conserve, and restore nature. | Canada’s National Adaptation Strategy and the related reporting and implementation framework provide a good starting point to focus efforts on disaster resilience, health and wellbeing, nature and biodiversity, infrastructure, and economy and workers.
The NDC highlights the interconnectedness of the climate and biodiversity crises and several key efforts to protect ecosystems, but fails to explain how Canada plans to protect key carbon sinks in the face of encroaching resource extraction. |
| 6. Just transition: How Canada considers responding to the needs of workers and communities as the NDC is being implemented. | The NDC points to the Canadian Sustainable Jobs Act as the primary mechanism to respond to the needs of workers and communities as the NDC is implemented. While a Just Transition must go beyond the limits of the Sustainable Jobs Act, Canada must move forward with appointing the Sustainable Jobs Partnership Council, assembling a robust Secretariat, and properly supporting their work in finances and human resources. |
| 7. Whole-of-country cooperation: Canada’s efforts to work with every community, city, region, province and territory as it implements its NDC. | While holding joint jurisdiction over the environment with the provinces, the federal government has covered around 80% of the cost of climate action despite holding only 20% of public spending. It is beyond time for all provinces to step up and meet the federal government at the negotiating table to chart a shared path forward on climate action. Ambitious climate action requires a whole-of-country collaborative approach. |
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Canada’s farthest-reaching network of organizations working on climate and energy issues, Climate Action Network – Réseau action climat (CAN-Rac) Canada is a coalition of more than 180 organizations operating from coast to coast to coast. Our membership brings environmental groups together with trade unions, First Nations, social justice, development, health and youth organizations, faith groups and local, grassroots initiatives.
For more information or to arrange an interview, contact:
Vicky Coo, Communications Manager
comms@climateactionnetwork.ca