The environment is the subject of ministries at the federal and provincial level in Canada, with the current highest environmental government official being the national Minister of the Environment Steven Guilbeault. Canada's large landmass and coastline make it very susceptible to any climate changes, so any contemporary changes of climate in the country are of national concern. Of the factors caused by human intervention that can affect this environment, activities that sustain the economy of Canada such as oil and gas extraction, mining, forestry and fishing are influential. The increase in greenhouse gas emissions in Canada between 1990 and 2015 was mainly due to larger emissions from mining, oil, and gas extraction and transport. [1] In 2011 United Nations said Canada's environment was the best in the world.
Several governmental programs have been created to mitigate 20th and 21st century climate change, such as the One-Tonne Challenge. In late 2005 Canada hosted the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Montreal, Quebec. Hundreds of environmental organizations have been founded in Canada. [2]
On October 21, 2019 Canada held a Federal election which resulted in the Liberal Party of Canada (LPC) being able to form a minority government with 157 deputies. The balance of power is held by the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) at 121 deputies, the Bloc Québécois (BQ) at 32 deputies, and the New Democratic Party (NDP) at 24 deputies. A government in Canada requires at least 170 deputies to pass legislation, therefore the LPC will need at least one of the above-mentioned parties to pass environmental legislation. [3] Based on the 2019 party platforms a few policy outcomes become possible. The LPC's carbon tax has a chance of remaining since both the NDP and the BQ support a version of it. Meanwhile, a ban on single-use plastics, forming a reforestation plan and formally protecting some of Canada's land and oceans is supported by both the LPC and the NDP. Also, a promise to end fossil fuel subsidies is supported by the LPC, the NDP, and the BQ. While all parties have said that they were committed to the 2016 Paris Climate Agreement, pipeline plans remain because the LPC and the CPC both support some pipelines (with NDP ambiguity regarding an LNG project in British Columbia). [4]
In 2021, amid the COP26, a poll concluded that 25% of Canadians believed that international conferences on climate change were useful to fight climate change. [5]
The environmental landscape of Canada can be classified through its 15 terrestrial and 5 marine ecozones, 53 ecoprovinces, 194 ecoregions, and 1021 ecodistricts. [6] Forest cover is around 38% of the total land area, equivalent to 346,928,100 hectares (ha) of forest in 2020, down from 348,272,930 hectares (ha) in 1990. In 2020, naturally regenerating forest covered 328,764,710 hectares (ha) and planted forest covered 18,163,390 hectares (ha). Of the naturally regenerating forest 59% was reported to be primary forest (consisting of native tree species with no clearly visible indications of human activity) and around 1% of the forest area was found within protected areas. For the year 2015, 91% of the forest area was reported to be under public ownership, 8% private ownership. [7] Canada has a variety of forest regions (especially throughout British Columbia and Alberta), possessing 9% (347 million hectares) of the world's total forest land and 24% of the world's boreal forest land. [8] There are eight forest regions in Canada: Acadian, Boreal, Carolinian (Deciduous), Coast, Columbia, Great Lakes-St Lawrence, Montane, and Subalpine. [9] In terms of iconic wildlife, the beaver became Canada's official emblem in 1975 for its historical significance in the fur trade. [10] Other iconic wildlife include the Canada goose, the moose, and the polar bear.
Education is a key factor to improve the environmental situation. Therefore, in Canada is easy to find different centers and institutions in which people can learn more about the environment. For instance, the Ministry of Ontario has developed a program that consists of teaching students to create a sustainable future, not only at school but also in their daily life. There are different associations in which those who are interested in the environment can learn and go more deeply in this area. The aim of this institution is to provide more information from different perspectives. Environmental careers center of Canada (ECO) offers many different kinds of programs, from post-secondary Environmental Education in Canada to undergraduates students who have also the possibility to study a bachelor's degree in Environmental Practices from Royal Roads University and propose certificates for adults as well. The main purpose is to create environmental professionals. Another association is The Canadian Network for Environmental Education and Communication (EECOM) is a network for environmental learning
The Bloc Québécois is a federal political party in Canada devoted to Quebec nationalism and the promotion of Quebec sovereignty. The Bloc was formed by Members of Parliament (MPs) who defected from the federal Progressive Conservative Party and Liberal Party during the collapse of the Meech Lake Accord. Founder Lucien Bouchard had been a cabinet minister in the federal Progressive Conservative government of Brian Mulroney.
The 2000 Canadian federal election was held on November 27, 2000, to elect members to the House of Commons of Canada of the 37th Parliament of Canada. Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's Liberal Party won a third majority government.
Environment and Climate Change Canada is the department of the Government of Canada responsible for coordinating environmental policies and programs, as well as preserving and enhancing the natural environment and renewable resources. It is also colloquially known by its former name, Environment Canada.
Linda Francis Duncan is a Canadian lawyer and former politician who served as the member of Parliament (MP) for the riding of Edmonton Strathcona from 2008 until 2019. A member of the New Democratic Party (NDP), Duncan was the only non-Conservative MP from Alberta from 2008 to 2015.
The 2008 Canadian federal election was held on October 14, 2008, to elect members to the House of Commons of Canada of the 40th Canadian Parliament after the previous parliament had been dissolved by Governor General Michaëlle Jean on September 7, 2008.
Steven Guilbeault is a Canadian politician and activist who has served as Minister of Environment and Climate Change since October 26, 2021. A member of the Liberal Party, Guilbeault has sat as a member of Parliament (MP) since the 2019 federal election, representing the Montreal riding of Laurier–Sainte-Marie in the House of Commons. Guilbeault was previously the minister of Canadian heritage from 2019 to 2021.
Environmental issues in Canada include impacts of climate change, air and water pollution, mining, logging, and the degradation of natural habitats. As one of the world's significant emitters of greenhouse gasses, Canada has the potential to make contributions to curbing climate change with its environmental policies and conservation efforts.
The New Democratic Party is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic, the party sits at the centre-left to left-wing of the Canadian political spectrum, with the party generally sitting to the left of the Liberal Party. The party was founded in 1961 by the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) and the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC).
Yves-François Blanchet is a Canadian politician who has led the Bloc Québécois (BQ) since 2019. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Beloeil—Chambly since the 2019 federal election. Under his leadership, the BQ increased its number of seats from 10 in 2015 to 32 in 2019, overtaking the New Democratic Party (NDP) to become the House of Commons' third-largest party.
The Climate Change Accountability Act is a Private Member's Bill that was submitted in the 39th, 40th and 41st Canadian Parliaments. It was originally tabled in October 2006 in the House of Commons of Canada as Bill C-377 of the 39th Parliament by Jack Layton, then the leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada (NDP). It passed third reading by a vote of 148 to 116 with the support of caucuses of the Liberal Party of Canada, the Bloc Québécois and the NDP. However, Bill C-377 died as it was still before the Senate when Parliament was dissolved for the 2008 Canadian federal election.
Deforestation in Indonesia involves the long-term loss of forests and foliage across much of the country; it has had massive environmental and social impacts. Indonesia is home to some of the most biologically diverse forests in the world and ranks third in number of species behind Brazil and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Climate change is greatly impacting Canada's environment and landscapes. Extreme weather has become more frequent and severe because of the continued release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The number of climate change–related events, such as the 2021 British Columbia Floods and an increasing number of forest fires, has become an increasing concern over time. Canada's annual average temperature over land warmed by 1.7 degrees Celsius between 1948 and 2016. The rate of warming is highest in Canada's north, the Prairies, and northern British Columbia. The country's precipitation has increased in recent years and wildfires expanded from seasonal events to year-round threats.
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Daniel Breton is an environmental activist and politician in the Canadian province of Quebec. He was the member of the National Assembly of Quebec for the riding of Sainte-Marie—Saint-Jacques between 2012 and 2014.
Catherine Mary McKenna is a Canadian lawyer and former politician who served as a Cabinet minister from 2015 to 2021. A member of the Liberal Party, McKenna was the minister of environment and climate change from 2015 to 2019 and minister of infrastructure and communities from 2019 to 2021. She was the member of Parliament (MP) for Ottawa Centre from 2015 to 2021, but decided not to seek reelection in the 2021 federal election.
The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy is a ministry of the government of British Columbia in Canada. The ministry is responsible for the effective protection, management and conservation of the province's natural resources. It is currently overseen by George Heyman.
Carbon pricing in Canada is implemented either as a regulatory fee or tax levied on the carbon content of fuels at the Canadian provincial, territorial or federal level. Provinces and territories of Canada are allowed to create their own system of carbon pricing as long as they comply with the minimum requirements set by the federal government; individual provinces and territories thus may have a higher tax than the federally mandated one but not a lower one. Currently, all provinces and territories are subject to a carbon pricing mechanism, either by an in-province program or by one of two federal programs. As of April 2024 the federal minimum tax is set at CA$80 per tonne of CO2 equivalent, set to increase to CA$170 in 2030.
The Canadian province of Alberta faces a number of environmental issues related to natural resource extraction—including oil and gas industry with its oil sands—endangered species, melting glaciers in banff, floods and droughts, wildfires, and global climate change. While the oil and gas industries generates substantial economic wealth, the Athabasca oil sands, which are situated almost entirely in Alberta, are the "fourth most carbon intensive on the planet behind Algeria, Venezuela and Cameroon" according to an August 8, 2018 article in the American Association for the Advancement of Science's journal Science. This article details some of the environmental issues including past ecological disasters in Alberta and describes some of the efforts at the municipal, provincial and federal level to mitigate the risks and impacts.
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Andrew Leach is a Canadian energy and environmental economist and a contributing writer to a number of Canadian news outlets including The Globe and Mail, and Maclean's. His research areas span energy and environmental economics—including topics such as oil sands regulation, clean energy innovations, with a specific focus on climate change policies.
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