Federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said Monday that Canada’s promised greenhouse gas emissions cap for the oil and gas sector will not be finalized for a year.
Canadian environmentalists attending the COP27 climate conference in Egypt were hoping Minister Guilbeault would unveil the specific caps he intends to impose on emissions from the oil and gas sector. They also wanted the Liberal government to announce the timetable for implementing these caps and the speed with which it will demand that these emissions be reduced in Canada.
But Guilbeault said Monday that environmental groups are keenly aware that developing such regulations requires consultation, including with Indigenous communities.
The Liberals had promised to impose a cap on greenhouse gas emissions from oil and gas production in the September 2021 election, and the final regulations are expected to be ready by the end of 2023.
Minister Guilbeault maintains that this is an extremely short timeline, pointing out that it took more than five years to develop the Clean Fuel Regulations.
Climate Action Network Canada and Environmental Defense are among environmental organizations calling on Canada to reduce emissions from oil and gas production by 60% by 2030.
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