Canada’s 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan - Chapter 4

The Government of Canada can't mitigate climate change alone. Internationally, climate change is a global challenge that requires coordinated, global solutions. At home, the environment is an area of shared jurisdiction between different levels of government. Provincial, territorial, Indigenous, municipal, and international governments have unique levers, knowledge, and expertise to reduce emissions in their jurisdictions. To achieve Canada's 2030 and 2050 climate objectives, enhanced collaboration with provinces, territories, Indigenous Peoples, and international peers will be critical.

4.1. Provincial and territorial collaboration: Key cooperative measures and agreements

When provinces, territories, and the federal government collaborate, bold climate action is possible.

Recognition of the shared constitutional jurisdiction over the environment is an important guiding principle in Canada's efforts to fight climate change. As climate priorities and particular circumstances differ within each jurisdiction, the Government of Canada works with provinces and territories to tailor approaches and actions focused on climate change and green economic recovery.

Provincial and territorial GHG emissions 2005 to 2019 in Mt CO2e
(excluding Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry)*

Provincial and territorial GHG emissions 2005 to 2019 in Mt CO2e (excluding Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry)
Long description
Provincial and territorial greenhouse gas emissions from 2005 to 2019, measured in megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (Mt CO2 eq)
Province and territory 2005 emissions (Mt CO2 eq) 2019 emissions (Mt CO2 eq)
British Columbia 63 66
Alberta 235 276
Saskatchewan 68 75
Manitoba 21 23
Ontario 206 163
Quebec 88 84
Atlantic provinces 56 40.8
Territories 2.75 2.82

Cooperative actions between federal, provincial and territorial governments take a wide variety of forms, including:  

Formal agreements and memoranda of understanding

The Government of Canada has concluded a number of bilateral agreements or memoranda of understanding with several provincial and territorial governments in a wide range of climate-related areas including, for example, carbon pollution pricing (for example, carbon offsets), natural gas sector electrification, nature, climate data, as well as methane equivalency agreements (oil and gas sector) and other shared priority areas.

Multilateral and bilateral cooperation

Federal, provincial, and territorial ministerial councils and tables, such as the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment, the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers, the Energy and Mines Ministers' Conference, and Canada's federal, provincial and territorial Ministers of Agriculture, continue to promote collaborative actions by governments to advance shared climate change objectives, undertake studies and analysis to develop best practices, and recommendations to enhance governments' climate action. In addition to multilateral tables, the Government of Canada continues to engage provinces and territories on a bilateral and regional basis, to explore and pursue opportunities and issues of mutual interest.

Policy frameworks and partnerships

The Government of Canada and the provinces and territories have co-developed a number of cooperative policy frameworks over the years address to complex, horizontal and multijurisdictional issues, including climate change. This includes through the development of the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change, the Arctic and Northern Policy Framework, the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, as well as on the Atlantic Loop.

The Arctic and Northern Policy Framework (ANPF)

The ANPF sets out a long-term, strategic vision that will guide the Government of Canada's activities and investments in the Arctic to 2030 and beyond, and align arctic policy objectives with the priorities of Indigenous Peoples and Arctic and Northern residents. ANPF objectives include accelerating and intensifying national and international reductions of greenhouse gas emissions and short-lived climate pollutants, and enhancing support for climate adaptation and resilience efforts. As the region undergoes rapid environmental changes, the Government of Canada will endeavor to work collaboratively with Indigenous Peoples and territorial governments to implement these objectives.

Cooperation in the international fora

Provinces and territories also contribute towards Canada's international engagement on climate change. For example, provinces and territories are invited to send delegates as part of the Canadian delegation to meetings of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and have been engaged in negotiations, such as on the rules of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement and the submission of Canada's Nationally Determined Contribution in July 2021. 

Pooling resources towards fighting and adapting to climate change

The Government of Canada provides significant funding support to achieve shared climate objectives with provincial and territorial governments. A number of funding programs, covering a wide range of sectors, have launched in recent years, including both the Low Carbon Economy Fund, and the Natural Climate Solutions Fund.

Low Carbon Economy Fund (LCEF)

Federal funding under the LCEF is an example of a strong cooperative measure that provides up to $2 billion to provinces and territories to reduce emissions, build resilient communities, and generate good jobs for Canadians. The program provides up to $1.4 billion to provinces and territories through the Leadership stream, and $500 million to a wide range of local pollution cutting initiatives in communities across Canada through the Champions stream, which recently launched a new round of intake. It is estimated that projects that have been funded so far will result in 4.8 Mt of emissions reductions in 2030.

For further information on submissions provided by provinces and territories on the 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan, cooperative measures and agreements, and climate actions taken by jurisdictions, please see Annex 1.

What's next

The Government of Canada remains committed to working with provinces and territories, building upon the existing robust working relationship across many areas, including home retrofits, zero emissions public transit, zero-emission vehicles, renewables and next‑generation clean technology solutions, and inter-provincial electricity transmission. The Government of Canada will also engage with provinces and territories on the development and implementation of the measures and strategies outlined in this 2030 ERP.

4.2. Indigenous climate leadership

Consistent with the Paris Agreement's call to respect, promote and consider Indigenous rights when taking action on climate change, the Government of Canada is committed to renewed nation-to-nation, Inuit-Crown and government-to-government relationships with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples, based on the recognition of rights, respect, cooperation and partnership. The Government of Canada also supports the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UN Declaration) and acknowledges that Indigenous Knowledge systems and ways of doing must be a cornerstone of Canadian climate policy. While more work needs to be done to ensure that Indigenous climate leadership is fully integrated into Canada's climate action, Canada has an ongoing commitment to improve the reflection of the UN Declaration in all of its policy and programming and to work with Indigenous partners to better support their climate priorities.

The Government also acknowledges that Indigenous Peoples experience disproportionate effects of climate change. Lower socio-economic outcomes, the legacy of colonization (including displacement from traditional territories onto reserve lands that are often more prone to flooding or fire), and a unique relationship with the land are factors that compound the effects of climate change, leading to intensified negative cultural, social and economic impacts for First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples. At the same time, Indigenous Peoples' leadership is key to Canada achieving its climate objectives. While GHG emissions originating from Indigenous communities – estimated at less than one megatonne per year – are modest, Indigenous Peoples' contributions to climate efforts far exceed the emissions directly attributed to their communities. The territorial stewardship of more than 680 communities, the exercise of constitutionally protected Aboriginal and Treaty Rights, and the participation in co-management regimes for natural resources and major infrastructure projects all position Indigenous Peoples as indispensable and influential contributors to climate policy.

When engaged on the development of this plan, Indigenous governments and representative organizations collectively stressed the importance of working on a nation-to-nation, Inuit-Crown, and government-to-government basis. Indigenous Peoples noted the urgency of protecting their territories, homelands, resources, languages, traditions and foods for future generations and that lived realities are inseparable from the effects of climate change. To read submissions from the Assembly of First Nations, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, and the Métis National Council, see Annex 2.

Canada's partnership with Indigenous Peoples

To further partnerships on climate, the Prime Minister of Canada and the national leaders of the Assembly of First Nations, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and the Métis National Council established three distinction-based, Senior Bilateral Tables on Clean Growth and Climate Change in 2016. More than five years later, these tables continue to demonstrate the benefits of sustained collaboration.

First Nations – Canada Joint Committee on Climate Action

In August 2021, the Joint Committee released its third annual report to the Prime Minister and the National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations. Priority areas include:

  1. Ensuring First Nations' full and effective participation in federal clean growth and climate change programs
  2. Empowering First Nations leadership in emerging opportunities for climate action
  3. Enabling the meaningful participation of First Nations in the carbon pollution pricing system
  4. Developing First Nations-specific indicators and criteria to report on the implementation of climate-related federal funding programs and outcomes for First Nations; and
  5. Fostering intergenerational dialogue on climate change

Inuit – Canada Table on Clean Growth and Climate Change

This Table uses the National Inuit Climate Change Strategy as a framework for joint action. The Strategy focuses on Inuit-led action under the following areas:

  1. Advancing the use of Inuit capacity and knowledge in climate decision-making
  2. Improving Inuit health and environmental health outcomes through integrated wellness, education and climate policies and initiatives
  3. Reducing the climate vulnerability of Inuit and market food systems
  4. Closing the infrastructure gap with climate-resilient new builds, retrofits to existing builds, and Inuit adaptation to changing natural infrastructure and
  5. Supporting regional and community-driven energy solutions, leading to Inuit energy independence

Métis Nation – Canada Senior Bilateral Table on Clean Growth and Climate Change

The Joint Table focuses on increasing the accessibility of federal climate funding to Métis Peoples. This includes work to shape community-based climate monitoring initiatives and to advance self-determined, priorities, including:

  1. Building capacity
  2. Collecting Métis knowledge
  3. Conducting research & collecting data to guide Métis policy
  4. Supporting education and training opportunities in climate change
  5. Advancing environmental stewardship and nature-based solutions
  6. Addressing emergency management and disaster-risk mitigation requirements
  7. Supporting climate change and health needs
  8. Advancing clean transportation options and
  9. Supporting renewable energy efforts and energy-efficiency retrofits

Highlights from Canada's partnership with Indigenous Peoples on climate change include:

What's next

The Government of Canada will continue to work with First Nations, Inuit and Métis representatives and rights-holders to develop and implement a model of partnership for climate action that:

The Government will make an additional investment of $29.6 million to advance Indigenous Climate Leadership.

In addition, the renewed and expanded Low Carbon Economy Fund noted above will include a new $180 million Indigenous Leadership Fund. The fund will support clean energy and energy efficiency projects led by First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities and organizations.

Indigenous Knowledge

Indigenous Knowledge systems are diverse, but often share principles embedded in land, language, stories, histories, and legal traditions. Inclusion of, and active support for, Indigenous Knowledge systems in Canada's climate plans helps ensure that federal climate action leads to the mitigation of climate impacts while advancing reconciliation and amplifying Indigenous climate leadership.

Preliminary discussions are ongoing with the Assembly of First Nations, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, and the Métis National Council and Métis partners to define paths forward for co-development of action. Over the next three years, the Government of Canada will work in partnership with Indigenous Peoples to create an agenda for climate action, establishing next steps on issues such as:

Starting in 2022-23, the Government will launch an ongoing, distinction- and region-based engagement process dedicated to Indigenous Peoples. This initiative will help streamline engagement opportunities on climate change for Indigenous Peoples while contributing to the establishment of durable, meaningful, and outcome-oriented partnerships. It will help support the consideration of Indigenous Knowledge, perspectives, and worldviews in the development of future Emissions Reduction Plans, and will be expanded to cover the co-development initiatives once a path forward has been identified.

4.3. International leadership

Canada has a long history of stepping up to tackle global challenges. Through Canada's leadership in the G7, G20, United Nations, and other international fora and bilateral relationships the Government of Canada has been active in pushing for increased global ambition and concrete actions to address the dual crises of climate change and biodiversity loss.

This 2030 ERP is one important way that Canada is meeting its commitments under the world's main agreement to tackle climate change: the Paris Agreement. To ensure the effective implementation of the Paris Agreement, Canada not only takes concrete action at home, but also actively promotes and facilitates global climate change efforts by other countries. Moreover, financing for developing country implementation of climate mitigation and adaptation efforts is an integral part of Canada's support for sustainable international development.

The Paris Agreement

The Paris Agreement is an international agreement adopted by Parties to the UNFCCC. Canada played an active and constructive role in securing international consensus on the Paris Agreement, which entered into force on November 4, 2016. The Agreement's goals are to:

  1. Keep the global average temperature to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and undertake efforts to limit temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius
  2. Enhance climate resilience and the ability to adapt to climate change and
  3. Make global finance flows consistent with low greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient development

Key international commitments

Canada is implementing a number of international commitmentsFootnote 1 that affect its emissions reduction efforts, including:

What's next

In addition to implementing Canada's existing international commitments, Canada will continue to advocate for increasing global ambition and effective climate action from all countries while supporting and enabling Indigenous climate leadership, mainstreaming gender-based analysis, and supporting developing countries with a focus on the most vulnerable and marginalized.

At the UNFCCC, Canada will continue to push all actors to keep 1.5˚C of warming by the end of the century within reach. To walk the talk between now and 2030, Canada will not only implement its current NDC and deliver on its international climate finance commitments, but also work towards Canada's next NDC and continuously increase the effectiveness of investments and further mobilize private resources to meet the global financing goals.

Global carbon offsets

Canada recognizes that internationally transferred mitigation outcomes (ITMOs) have the potential to complement domestic efforts and contribute to sustainable development abroad. Other countries, including New Zealand, Switzerland, and Japan, have referenced ITMOs as part of their NDCs and climate plans. Following Canada's strong advocacy of robust international rules for ITMOs to ensure environmental integrity, transparency and the avoidance of double-counting at COP26, efforts are ongoing to develop a federal policy on ITMOs.

Canada will also seize new opportunities and work with its international partners to increase and expand efforts. For example:

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