Attention News Editors: Executive Director Lois Corbett made the following statement with respect to the collaborative report released today assessing Canada’s progress on climate change policy and action, prepared by the federal Auditor General along with most provincial Auditors General. She is available for comment.
“Today, Auditors General from across the country showed us that our federal, provincial and territorial governments still have a lot of work to do when it comes to acting upon, preparing for, and even understanding the risks Canadian families and businesses are already facing from climate change and extreme weather events.
Julie Gelfand, Canada’s Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, rightly points out that current climate action plans across the country are likely not ambitious enough to meet the national 2020 carbon pollution reduction target, and that much more aggressive action is needed to meet Canada’s 2030 target. She adds that most governments across the country have so far failed to assess and understand the risks that our changing climate means to the health and safety of their citizens.
New Brunswick received a mixed bag of positive and negative marks.
The Auditors General gave the province positive marks for regularly reporting progress on pollution reduction targets to the public, coordinating climate change action across government departments, and being on track to meet its provincial 2020 pollution reduction target of 10 per cent below 1990 emissions, among other items.
The auditors noted, however, that New Brunswick’s adaptation plan — while outlining “many clear and important actions to be taken” — lacked details on how and when the targets would actually be achieved. Similarly, the province received negative marks for lacking specific timelines in its 2016 climate change action plan.
New Brunswickers know that climate change is here and happening already in our communities. The January 2017 ice storm, for example, left nearly 300,000 people without power, some for up to 13 days, and is estimated to have cost NB Power $30 million, the most expensive restoration in the history of the public utility.
We are encouraged that, for the first time ever, Canada’s independent watchdogs collaborated on a groundbreaking report to take the pulse of climate action across the country. This report, along with reports from respective provincial Auditors General, provide a good blueprint for doing better and should add wind in the sails of governments’ plans to lower pollution and make our communities healthy and strong in the face of climate change.”
Recommended links:
- Read the report, Perspectives on Climate Change Action in Canada—A Collaborative Report from Auditors General—March 2018
To arrange an interview, contact:
Jon MacNeill, Communications Director | 458-8747 (office) | 238-3539 (mobile) | jon.macneill@conservationcouncil.ca