Former environment ministers accuse current minister of lying about Canada's Paris commitments

ANTALYA · Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin is facing accusations from two of her predecessors that she is lying about Canada's commitment to its Paris climate targets. The minister is attending the COP31 United Nations climate conference in Antalya, Turkey. Before the trip, she told The Canadian Press the country remains "absolutely committed" to its Paris Accord goals. Former environment minister Catherine McKenna called that claim "factually untrue" in a social media post from the conference. Former minister Steven Guilbeault said Dabrusin's statement to delegates "defies reason."

Mcenna stated Canada has no chance of meeting its 2030 commitment and lacks a path to net zero by 2050, a comment she made before considering any new oilsands or liquefied natural gas projects. Guilbeault, speaking from COP31, said politicians should tell the truth and be genuine with Canadians. He referenced government modelling and analyses from the Canadian Climate Institute that contradict the minister's assertion. "For her to claim that Canada is still committed to meeting the Paris targets, it's disingenuous and it should have no place in politics," Guilbeault said.

The federal government under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau set a target in 2021 to cut emissions by 40 to 45 percent below 2005 levels by 2030, with a net-zero goal for 2050. Official data shows emissions had fallen only 10.3 percent from 2005 levels by 2024. This reduction of 78 million tonnes over 21 years leaves Canada with the weakest emissions performance in the G7. Independent modelling indicates the country will not reach net zero by the middle of the century.

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Prime Minister Mark Carney suggested in June that emissions are likely to increase in coming years, signalling an effective abandonment of the 2030 goal. Environment Commissioner Jerry DeMarco reported last month that federal projections now show Canada achieving only a 28 percent reduction by 2030. His assessment accounted for the rollback of several major climate policies over the past year and a half. DeMarco's report listed the cancelled consumer carbon price, oil and gas emissions cap, electric vehicle mandate, two billion trees program and low-carbon fuel procurement program.

The report also noted the government's decision to weaken the industrial carbon price. Carney has previously criticized the Trudeau-era climate policies as being too costly and divisive for the country. In response to the accusations, Dabrusin's office issued a statement reaffirming the government's commitment to the Paris Agreement and net zero by 2050. Press secretary Amy Falkner wrote that the government is using a pragmatic approach focused on building clean energy projects, electrification and low-carbon investments. Falkner highlighted a $50 billion commitment in the recent federal budget, including $38 billion in tax credits, and efforts to expand the electricity grid. She said the government is acting urgently on climate change while building energy security and industrial capacity. Your Space Hamilton reported earlier this month that Dabrusin was defending Canada's climate record at COP31 by citing progress on methane and electrification.

With files from The Canadian Press, Global News and Castanet