Leave Behind: Enhancing the durability of climate accountability in Canada

On November 23, 2020, our volunteers were asked to lobby their Members of Parliament to improve and protect Canada’s carbon pricing policy.  They were given our specific asks to share with their MPs, which we call the “Leave Behind”.

However, on Thursday, November 19,  the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act (C12) was introduced and we produced a Laser Talk to help our volunteers be open-minded about the steps forward with regards to this new legislation.

Volunteers, in the meantime, collaborated to update our lobbying ask with regards to climate accountability.

MPs also told our volunteers that Parliament is open to improving Bill C12 and is seeking recommendations, too.

After much consideration, we felt the following was achievable, reasonable, and appealing to all political stripes. We also felt the following recommendation has a high likelihood of long-term durability of generating political will for evidence-based climate action which is our core mandate.

It reads as follows:

Require that, every year (rather than every 5 years), the issue of Canada’s progress in meeting its GHG emission reduction targets would be a matter of public debate (in Parliament and the press, and by civil society), based on the report of a respected, independent Advisory Board and the government’s response to the report. An annual focus on Canada’s GHG levels resulting from Bill C-12 should greatly help generate and maintain the political will necessary for effective action on the issue of GHG emissions reduction. These suggestions are consistent with the UK Climate Change Act.