Opinion
Climate and shifting markets define energy challenges for Canada
By Mark Winfield December 7, 2020
Whether Canada’s leaders will have the courage and capacity to engage in tough conversations ahead remains an open question. Canada’s economic and environmental future depends on their choices.
Canada's federal Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, pictured Feb. 24, 2020, on the Hill. The federal government’s newly proposed climate change legislation, Bill C-12, would only establish emission reduction targets for 2030 and beyond, and although requiring planning and reporting, does little to advance the achievement of what targets might be set. The government’s initiative on low-carbon fuel standards seems to be faltering, writes Mark Winfield. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade
The state of energy policy in Canada, as it relates to fossil fuels, is defined by two major issues: the stalling out, with the possible exception of Quebec, of meaningful progress on climate change; and distress in the Alberta oil and gas sector, a product of weak demand and low commodity prices—trends that pre-dated the COVID-19 pandemic.
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