Here in Canada, we’re less than two weeks away from a federal election. If you’re a regular reader, you know it’s rare for me to write about politics. I’ll make an exception today to provide an overview of each of Canada’s major federal parties’ environmental and climate change platforms.

This post will look at the environmental policies of the four major national parties: Conservatives, Liberals, New Democrats and Greens. My goal is to raise awareness to help you understand the party platforms on these issues that are important to our health and wellbeing. I’ve included links to the party websites if you’d like more information.

Why environmental and climate change issues matter

Like most Canadians, I have watched with horror as wildfires ravaged large areas in western Canada this summer. Although we are mostly sheltered from the fires here in southern Ontario, we were affected this year when smoke from wildfires hundreds of miles away in northern Ontario clouded our skies earlier in the summer, making breathing difficult even for healthy individuals. It was an important reminder that environmental issues affect all of us.

There are people who think that, as we struggle to fight our way out of the pandemic, there are more important things to worry about than climate change and environmental issues. To that, I ask “If not now, when?” There are many important issues facing our country, and our world. But, will there ever be a right time to face the climate crisis head on? At every time, and in every election, there will be other concerns.

But, the Earth is in crisis and we need to act quickly.

The parties’ environmental and climate change platforms

Conservative Party of Canada

In their document Secure The Environment, the Conservatives outline their plan to combat climate change.

Their platform is based on 4 main principles:

Introduce low carbon savings accounts

The Conservatives plan to eliminate the federal carbon tax and replace it with a personal low carbon savings account. The idea is, every time you buy hydrocarbon-based fuel, you put money (basically a tax) into a personal account that you can use to buy things like electric vehicles or making your home greener.  

I’m not entirely sure how this would work but it seems that, instead of encouraging us to use less fuel, it would actually reward those who use more fuel.  

More zero-emission vehicles

The Conservatives want to achieve 30% zero-emission vehicles by 2030. The goal is to build zero-emission vehicles, upgrade our electricity grid and invest in new energy technologies.

Lower emissions and meet 2030 Paris targets

The Conservatives reject specific carbon targets. They plan to achieve greater emission reductions by following the lead of the United States and the European Union.  

Stand up to major polluters like China

By implementing carbon border tariffs, a Conservative government would insist that major polluters like China clean up their act.

Other items of note

The Conservatives plan to help the oil and gas industry be cleaner by pledging $5 Billion for Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS).

The Conservative platform is silent on plastic pollution and protection of our oceans and freshwater resources.  

Liberal Party of Canada

The Liberals plan to continue the work they’ve started under their current mandate.

Freshwater protection

The Liberals have pledged $1 Billion to restore and protect Canada’s large lakes and river systems. They also plan to modernize the Canada Water Act to reflect current issues like climate change and Indigenous water rights.

Climate change

Pledging to accelerate climate action by investing in clean jobs and new technologies. They plan to offer rebates of up to $5,000 on the purchase of zero-emission vehicles, and they have set a target of 50% of passenger vehicles sold by 2030 being zero-emission, and 100% by 2035.

In addition, the Liberals also plan to offer grants and interest-free loans to retrofit homes.

To combat pollution, they target a net-zero electricity grid by 2035, and to end thermal coal exports by 2030.

By setting oil and gas sector emission targets, they have a goal of net-zero by 2050.

Ending plastic pollution and cutting waste

The Liberals followed through on their 2019 campaign promise to introduce legislation to ban single-use plastics. Their current goal is to end plastic pollution by 2030. They’ll achieve this by making plastic producers responsible for the recycling system and requiring plastic packaging to be 50% recycled plastic by 2030. They have also pledged to protect our oceans by investing in community shoreline cleanups.

Something that caught my eye in their platform targets reducing the number of appliances in landfill by implementing a “right to repair” bill. Having recently had a run of bad luck with appliances, I found this interesting.   

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New Democratic Party

The NDP’s website pledges to “Protect our air, land and water, and secure our future”. They break this down into seven key areas.

Taking climate leadership and getting to net-zero

The NDP is committed to stabilizing global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, and reducing emissions by 50% from 2005 levels by 2030.

They will continue carbon pricing, eliminate fossil fuel subsidies and redirect funds to low-carbon initiatives.

They also pledge to procure from Canadian companies producing green technology, and move toward green government buildings and vehicle fleets.

Creating good jobs in all regions

The NDP pledges to support job creation focused on clean energy. They have a plan to create over a million “new good” jobs.

Improving where we live and work

Pledging to retrofit all buildings by 2050, the NDP would offer low-interest loans to homeowners and require new buildings to be net-zero by 2025. They also promise to increase access to affordable, reliable high-speed internet.

Changing how we get around

An NDP government would modernize and expand public transit with a focus on zero-emission buses and electric trains. They propose a public intercity bus system to fill the gap left by the departure of Greyhound.

They also plan a target of 100% of new vehicles being zero-emission by 2035, promising an incentive of up to $15,000 for the purchase of made-in-Canada electric vehicles. 

Powering our communities carbon-free

An NDP government would set a target to power Canada with net-zero electricity by 2030. They will achieve this through a Climate Bank that will help boost investment in renewable energy, energy efficiency and low carbon technology across the country.

Protecting our land and water

The NDP proposes to cut pollution by implementing an environmental bill of rights that guarantees access to clean water, land and air for all Canadians.

They’re also committed to banning single-use plastic and hold manufacturers responsible for their packaging.

The NDP’s nature agenda would protect our oceans and freshwater, and launch a 10-year plan to reverse species loss.

Working together

Finally, the NDP plan to engage Indigenous people as full and equal partners in Canada’s efforts to combat climate change. 

Green Party of Canada

A search of the Green Party website yielded no information on their party platform. It seems they are taking the approach of releasing their platform piece-by-piece based on daily themes.

As an environmentalist, I like the idea of the Green Party but, if they want to be taken seriously as a national party, they need more substance.

The only information I could find on their 2021 platform was in this article by Macleans magazine.

• Target 60% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions with clear timelines.
• End new pipeline construction, fracking and oil/gas exploration. Use the funds to invest in infrastructure and green sectors.
• Energy efficiency retrofit program for all buildings.

As far as I know, the Greens are running on their 2019 election platform Mission Possible. You can read about it here.

Has the Green Party lost its relevance now that all other major parties have acknowledged that environmental issues need to be part of their platforms? Time will tell.

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The state of our environment is impacting our health, and our economy. We can no longer sit idly by and wait for “the right moment”.  As we cast our ballots on September 20, let’s ask ourselves what kind of world we want to leave for our children and grandchildren.

What do you think is the biggest issue facing Canada in the current election? Tell me your thoughts below.