Feds extend deadline for emissions submissions

The federal government has extended the deadline for public submissions on the 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP).

Since the formal engagement process launched on December 10, 2021, the government has received approximately 20,000 public submissions. In response to the overwhelming interest and feedback received so far, the deadline for public submissions to the 2030 ERP by one week to 11:59 p.m. PST on January 21, 2022.

The ERP will outline how Canada plans to reduce emissions by 40 to 45 percent below 2005 levels by 2030.

Government ministers and bureaucrats have also been consulting separately with provinces, territories, Indigenous peoples, industry partners, members of parliament, and the Net-Zero Advisory Body to inform the 2030 plan.

The decision to extend the engagement period will give Canadians more time to contribute to the plan and build on the enthusiasm shown to date.

Interested Canadians can continue to submit their ideas through the Engagement on Canada’s 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan – Public Submission Portal.

The Government of Canada remains on track to establish the 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan by March 29, 2022.

The Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act was passed earlier this year. It enshrines Canada’s climate goals for 2030 and 2050 into law and requires the government to establish an emissions reduction plan to achieve Canada’s 2030 target. The 2030 plan will be the first emissions reduction plan established under the Act and is a key milestone on the pathway to net zero by 2050.

In addition to the 2030 ERP, the government is consulting on the following commitments in early 2022:

• • Mandating the sale of zero-emission vehicles so that at least half of new light–duty vehicles (cars, pickups, etc.) sold in Canada are zero-emission by 2030, reaching 100 percent by 2035;
  • Developing emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles that are aligned with the most ambitious standards in North America, and requiring that 100 percent of selected categories of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles be zero-emission by 2040;
  • Capping emissions from the oil and gas sector at current levels and requiring that they decline at the pace and scale needed to get to net zero by 2050;
  • Developing a plan to reduce methane emissions across the broader Canadian economy in support of the Global Methane Pledge and Canada’s climate plan goals to reduce oil and gas methane emissions by at least 75 percent below 2012 levels by 2030;
  • Transitioning to a net-zero emitting electricity grid by 2035.