Over the past year, Canadians felt the dramatic impacts of climate change like never before. From extreme heat domes and wildfires to intense rain and flooding, climate emergencies affected millions of people in Canada. The Trudeau government’s third mandate will be decisive in determining whether Canada takes bold, feminist climate action to break free from its past record of missed emission reduction goals and under-investment in the energy transition.
In 2021, Prime Minister Trudeau announced Canada will double its international climate finance commitments, pledging $5.3 billion over the next five years. Forty percent of funding will be dedicated to climate adaptation, and one of its five overarching objectives is to “advance feminist climate action that supports the poorest and most vulnerable.” Canada also increased its greenhouse gas emission reduction target to 40-45% below 2005 levels by 2030. However, many climate advocates and scientists believe Canada should go much further, calling for a 60% cut by 2030. Little progress has been made on legislation to support the energy transition in Canada.
The government committed to introduce new legislation to address the human rights and environmental impacts of Canadian companies operating or sourcing internationally. However, it failed to strengthen the mandate of its weak Ombudsperson Office on business-related human rights abuses.
