Statement from Keith Brooks, Programs Director

It should not come as a surprise that 2026 is forecast to be among the hottest years on record. But it is outrageous that, despite the deepening climate crisis, the federal government has no real plan to fight climate change nor to build a clean economy. We are flying blind with no idea of what Canada’s emissions trajectory looks like now, following the cancellation of the Consumer Carbon Tax and the signing of the MOU with Alberta.

How can the federal government say that fighting climate change is “a moral obligation” and “an economic imperative” and then put its support behind new LNG projects, a carbon capture pipeline, and perhaps a new bitumen pipeline — all of which need significant federal subsidies to move forward?

There are many competing priorities to contend with these days, but climate is not an issue that governments can ignore. Climate change costs billions in damages each year, and the economic opportunity of the clean economy is only becoming greater as the energy transition accelerates and the core clean energy technologies — solar, wind, heat pumps, EVs and batteries — move from the margins to the mainstream.

It’s past time for Canada to get serious about fighting climate change and start seeing the energy transition for what it is: the beginning of the end of fossil fuels and the dawning of the age of electrification. We can either participate in and benefit from this massive shift or stick to our fossil fueled past.

ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian environmental advocacy organization that works with government, industry and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate and healthy communities.

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For more information or to request an interview, please contact:

Lauren Thomas, Environmental Defence, media@environmentaldefence.ca