The 10-year delay on a carbon price increase and a proposed pipeline accelerate climate risks, threatening coastal ecosystems and Indigenous rights

VANCOUVER — UNCEDED xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (MUSQUEAM), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (SQUAMISH) AND səlilwətaɬ (TSLEIL-WAUTUTH) TERRITORIES

Friday’s deal between Alberta and the federal government that delays planned increases to the industrial carbon price by a full decade hands the oil and gas sector a prolonged license to keep polluting. The agreement, which also included an accelerated schedule for approving Alberta’s pipeline proposal, will worsen climate change and put coastal ecosystems at risk. This comes a week after the federal government proposed regulatory changes that would create loopholes in environmental laws for pipelines and other projects of the government’s choosing. The changes threaten Indigenous rights, including the right to free, prior, and informed consent over projects impacting their territories.

The David Suzuki Foundation said that building a new bitumen pipeline to the British Columbia coast will delay Canada’s transition to clean, affordable renewable energy.

In response to the announcement, Lisa Gue, David Suzuki Foundation national policy manager, said:

“Carney promised in his climate competitiveness strategy to strengthen industrial carbon pricing. It was supposed to do the heavy lifting on emissions. Friday’s announcement delivered the opposite. By capitulating to Alberta’s demand to let the industrial carbon price reach $130 a tonne only by 2040 — a full decade behind the previous federal schedule — the government has handed the country’s large industrial emitters a decade-long permission slip to keep polluting. With oil and gas responsible for nearly one-third of Canada’s emissions, communities throughout Canada not only bear the climate cost, but also lose the jobs, investment and opportunities from clean economy companies whose projects depend on a robust carbon price to attract investment capital.

“Despite oil and gas companies’ misleading statements, Canada’s industrial carbon system was carefully designed to keep industry globally competitive. It spurs billions in clean economy investments and does not pass on costs to consumers. Delaying to 2040 means forgoing clean economy jobs and business opportunities that other countries are seizing.

“The prime minister said Canada would meet its climate commitments. But this deal with Alberta is an epic betrayal. Not only has the new government dismantled most of Canada’s climate policies, now it’s putting Carney’s own climate competitiveness strategy through the shredder. People in Canada, including future generations, deserve a credible path to net zero, not just lip service. This starts with rejecting Alberta’s pipeline ploy.”

In response to the announcement, Sabaa Khan, David Suzuki Foundation director general for climate solutions, said:

“At a time when the climate crisis is imposing unprecedented human and economic costs across communities in Canada, the decision to lower carbon pricing and promote new fossil fuel infrastructure while weakening fundamental environmental protections reflects a dangerously short-sighted investment strategy. A responsible investment strategy in a climate-constrained world cannot treat climate accountability and environmental law as costs to be minimized — they are preconditions to economic resilience. Friday’s announcement and the government’s continuous trend of climate backtracking are irreconcilable with Canada’s evolving legal obligations and duties to regulate in the public interest, including by using all means at its disposal to prevent climate damage.”

 

– 30 –

For more information or interviews, please contact:

Rosie Rattray: rrattray@davidsuzuki.org, 604-732-4228, ext. 132