A new federal report released today is suggesting Ottawa and the provinces are not on the same page when it comes to addressing climate change.
A joint audit was recently conducted by federal environment commissioner Julie Gelfand and several provincial auditors.
The goal of the audit was to look at climate change planning by the provinces, territories and federal government between November 2016 and this month.
“Perspectives on Climate Change Action in Canada: A Collaborative Report from Auditors General,” was presented to the House of Commons on Tuesday morning.
The report says while Canada and the provinces are working toward climate change reduction, there is a lack of coordination between all governments, as well as environmental agencies.
The audit also says while many governments have goals to cut emissions, few have detailed plans to actually reach those goals, with timelines, funding or expected results from specific actions.
“The findings from the federal, provincial and territorial climate change audits confirm that Canada’s governments are working on climate change, but that the work is far from being done,” said Julie Gelfand in a media release on the audit.
The media release also drew attention to Judy Ferguson’s, Provincial Auditor of Saskatchewan, report on the mitigation efforts in the province in 2017. Ferguson’s report stated, that at the beginning of 2017, Saskatchewan did not have a mitigation plan with specific targets for greenhouse gas reduction. However, by the end of 2017, the Saskatchewan government released a provincial climate change strategy.
Environment Minister Dustin Duncan says with this newly released strategy, the report on Saskatchewan should look differently now.
“Depending on what auditors across the country do, if they do an update… certainly the work we are doing now with industry, municipalities and organizations across the province would be reflected,” said Duncan.
The collaborative report also sets out a number of questions Canadians should consider asking of governments, as they continue their efforts to reduce emissions and address climate change impacts.
The report in its entirety can be found here.
(PHOTO: Pinehouse Lake. File photo.)