VANCOUVER — UNCEDED xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (MUSQUEAM), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (SQUAMISH) AND səlilwətaɬ (TSLEIL-WAUTUTH) TERRITORIES (September, 18, 2025)
Thomas Green, Senior Manager, Climate Solutions, David Suzuki Foundation, said:
“The report released by the Canadian Climate Institute today underscores critical failures in Canada’s fight to cut fossil fuel pollution, exposing incompatibility between economic policies and a climate-safe future.
“Oil and gas production continues to expand, including the massively over-budget Trans Mountain pipeline, approval of another large liquefied natural gas terminal by B.C. and Ottawa, and Ottawa’s plan to fast-track Phase 2 of LNG Canada. This comes after Canadians spent another summer enduring wildfires, evacuations and lung-damaging smoke. The CCI report confirms that these projects continue to push large amounts of pollution into the atmosphere and stall national climate progress.
“The key provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario are refusing to strengthen climate action, while Ottawa is pausing and reviewing the Electric Vehicle Availability Standard, shelving the oil and gas emissions cap and delaying strengthened methane regulations.
“Politicians should be seizing global momentum, embracing renewables and helping Canadian households and businesses benefit from clean electricity. Instead, they’re trying to lock in a high-carbon economy stuck in the past century by listening to oil and gas lobbyists who are calling for weaker regulations and more subsidies, while countries like China surge ahead in clean technologies.
“Canadians want progress and climate action, not backpedalling. A recent poll by the David Suzuki Foundation shows 77 per cent of Canadians support upgrading Canada’s electricity grid by connecting provinces and territories with new transmission lines, and 72 per cent supporting federal funding for these new transmission lines. When given the choice, Canadians prefer a connected east-west electricity grid to help power Canada’s economy with renewable energy over a new pipeline to transport oil to either the East or West Coast for export to other countries.”
Sabaa Khan, lawyer and David Suzuki Foundation Climate Director:
“Canada’s flat-lining emissions in 2024 do not represent a pause; they indicate failure. When a historic emitter entrenches fossil fuel expansion instead of phasing it out, it signals to the world that human rights can be disregarded for the sake of profit. The International Court of Justice has confirmed that states have legal duties to cut emissions to protect present and future generations. At a time of trade disruption, Canada should seize the moment to realign its trade policy with climate law and environmental human rights — not undermine them by locking in fossil fuel dependency. Canada’s refusal to act is a national betrayal and a direct assault on global welfare, deepening the suffering of those already living with the consequences of climate breakdown.”
– 30 –
For more information or interviews, please contact:
Rosie Rattray: rrattray@davidsuzuki.org