This co-chair with the Education Accord wants to clear up confusion
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
11-08-2025
Where does Carney stand on Canada's 2030 climate targets? It's not clear
Prime Minister Mark Carney is facing mounting pressure to act on climate change amid another near-record-shattering wildfire season and scorching hot summer. But five months after taking Canada's top political job, it's unclear whether he will pursue his Liberal predecessor's deep emissions cuts. Carney will need to make up his mind quickly, as the country is about to face a critical test. Canada has five years to meet or come as close as possible to achieving its international climate commitments. LISTEN | Where does Carney stand on climate targets? (new window) Those legally binding targets require the country to slash carbon pollution and other planet-warming gases by at least 40 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030. It is going to take a really heavy lift at this point, said the country's top climate adviser, Simon Donner, told CBC Radio's The House (new window) . Donner is co-chair of the independent Net Zero Advisory Body, an expert group that provides independent advice to the government on achieving net zero emissions by 2050. What is net-zero? Check out CBC's climate glossary (new window) There's a lot of things in this world that are uncertain at this time, but I think it's a safe prediction … that we will not meet that target, said Serge Dupont, a former deputy minister at Natural Resources Canada. The targets were perhaps overly ambitious to start with.… I think it's still important we make a valiant effort to go as far as we can, but we're not going to meet that target, he said. Environment and Climate Change Minister Julie Dabrusin was not available for an interview. But in a statement, her office said Canada is committed to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. We strive towards our 2030 and 2035 targets, Keean Nembhard, press secretary for the minister, wrote in a statement. He said the government would provide an update on its emissions reduction plan. Targets slipping out of reach The federal government's January greenhouse gas projections show that Canada will fall short of its climate targets. As the data shows, the country is on pace to miss its interim 2026 target, reducing emissions by only 16 per cent by 2026 — short of the 20 per cent required. Moreover, modelling also shows Canada will miss its 2030 target — potentially even further than currently projected now that the carbon tax is gone. Enlarge image (new window) Source: Environment Canada Photo: CBC All we know that is happening is that we've been removing existing climate policies, Donner said. Removing the federal carbon tax and the requirement for provinces to either use it or have their own was one of Carney's first acts as prime minister. According to one analysis, the measure has been responsible for reducing carbon pollution by less than seven per cent. One group upset with the way the federal government is addressing global warming is Last Generation. The group uses civil disobedience to demand action on climate change. When CBC News caught up with the small group of activists, they were leaving their mark near downtown Ottawa on a summer evening. Members were postering across the University of Ottawa campus in defiance of at least one warning not to do so. We're hoping that this is going to get our name out there and teach people that they can fight the climate crisis directly instead of relying on politicians who have failed us time and time again, said Benjamin Welchner, one of the organizers with Last Generation. The group has taken part in more provocative non-violent civil disobedience, such as graffiti that says Oil Kills in bright pink letters, dousing a Tesla dealership in paint and climbing Montreal's Jacques-Cartier Bridge (new window) . The group, modelled on Britain's Just Stop Oil, has a specific ask: the creation of a national climate disaster agency. Gains offset by fossil fuel industry Amid the view that the world and Canada are not doing enough to reduce their carbon footprint, it's worth noting that 10 years ago, projections for global warming were far worse. In 2015, Canada's emissions were trending to exceed greenhouse gas emission levels for 2005, the baseline year from which Canada measures progress. Canada's electricity sector has led the way in decarbonization, slashing the sector's emissions by half. However, these gains have been offset by considerable increases in oil and gas production. The industry accounts for Canada's largest share of emissions and it has increased by 11 per cent since 2005. How Carney will tackle concerns that fossil fuel companies have not done their fair share remains unclear. But sitting on the table are two unfinished Trudeau-era climate policies — enhanced methane regulations and an oil and gas emissions cap. We haven't seen [the Carney government] prepared to abandon any goals right now, said Oliver Anderson, who was director of communications for former environment minister Steven Guilbeault. Anderson is now the vice president of communications and growth at the water charity AquaAction. We need to see what it is that they are going to change in order to get us to that end still. Carney has signalled an openness to listing a bitumen pipeline as part of the list of projects in the national interest that his government could fast-track. He has been supportive of renewable energy projects as well. His government's major projects legislation, C-5, enables the federal cabinet to approve what they deem to be nation-building projects before a federal environmental assessment or Indigenous consultation is complete. Asked about how a pipeline could impact Canada's emissions goals, Donner, the country's top climate adviser, suggested proponents and governments should avoid backing assets that could become stranded. WATCH | Carney ends the consumer carbon tax: The question we need to ask ourselves is who is that oil being shipped to in the year 2040, in the year 2045, when the world is shifting away from using gasoline and passenger vehicles? Donner said. Others believe we could see a shift with Carney, who, unlike Trudeau, doesn't see climate change as everything policy, according to Shannon Joseph, the chair of Energy for A Secure Future. It was [Trudeau's] economic policy, it was the foreign policy, it was the housing policy, Joseph said. People feel the pinch and so they've changed the priorities, and I think we're going to end up with a better, more measured solution. But Dupont, the former Natural Resources deputy minister, believes the government needs to recalibrate its climate target for a new reality. There's a wider set of issues at play here for Canadians, he said. Those issues, according to Dupont, who is now the head of public policy at the law firm Bennett Jones, include a softening of both economic growth and public support for green policies. The Carney government will eventually have to come clean on how and if it can meet Canada's climate targets. It's legally required to do so under the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act. David Thurton (new window) · CBC News · Senior reporter, Parliamentary Correspondent David Thurton is a senior reporter in CBC's Parliamentary Bureau. He covers daily politics in the nation's capital and specializes in environment and energy policy. Born in Canada but raised in Trinidad and Tobago, he's moved around more times than he can count. He's worked for CBC in several provinces and territories, including Alberta and the Northwest Territories. He can be reached at LinkedIn (new window) Twitter (new window)
05-08-2025
Young people more prone to believe in conspiracies, research shows
Hillary Clinton had Jeffrey Epstein killed. Barack Obama was not born in the United States. The pharmaceutical industry was responsible for the spread of COVID-19. These are all conspiracies with no basis in fact, says University of Ottawa professor Daniel Stockemer — but his research shows that theories like them are gaining traction among young people. In fact, people younger than 35 are more likely to believe in conspiracy theories than other age groups, according to a recent study by Stockemer and co-author Jean-Nicolas Bordeleau that surveyed more than 380,000 people internationally. The research was recently published in the journal Political Psychology. Conspiracy theories are now for everyone, Stockemer told CBC Radio's All In A Day , noting that between 20 and 25 per cent of the population believes in one. But the young are slightly more likely to believe in them. For example, their research suggests a slight year-over-year drop in conspiracies to the point where an 80-year-old is about 10 per cent less likely to believe one than an 18-year-old. If the problem isn't addressed, Stockemer said he expects the democratic backsliding he's seen all over the world to continue. If we don't have a young population that stands up for the values of democracy ... who else will? Why do young adults believe conspiracies? There are many reasons why young people are particularly susceptible, Stockemer said — including the fact the political world has become more divided and chaotic. Right now, we're in a world of polarization, he said. There is no compromise, no middle ground. Compounding that effect, Stockemer said, is that young people are being alienated from politics as mainstream politicians largely ignore their concerns — including during the last federal election. The leaders didn't even come to the [University of Ottawa] to have a talk or anything, he said. And then we wonder why young people have a higher tendency to go the populist or conspiracies route. Then there's technological leaps like the internet, smart phones and social media, Stockemer said, which allow conspiracy and misinformation to spread, especially among young people. The internet also potentially exposes them to every unfortunate incident that happens in the world, said Carmen Celestini, who teaches at the University of Waterloo and studies disinformation, extremists and conspiracy theorists. That fear and that perpetual sense of disaster can lead people to believe in conspiracy theories, said Celestini, noting she wasn't surprised even a little bit by Stockemer and Bordeleau's findings. Influencers who tote extremist views and conspiracies also give their viewers someone or something to blame, she added. Enlarge image (new window) Conspiracies like the one suggesting former U.S president Barack Obama was not born in the country have been gaining traction among people under 35, according to the research recently published in the journal Political Psychology. Photo: Reuters / Mike Segar No 'quick fix' Widespread conspiracies and the problems inherent to the internet will require a global response, said Celestini, one that will involve talking about the fears and emotions that led people to these conclusions. It really is [about] having that transparent talk with your child about what it is that they're feeling, why they might believe some of these ideas and where the emotions behind it come from, she said. Stockemer said there's no quick fix, but improving civic education and better regulating misinformation online would help. To bring [young people] back, we need to also include them within the democratic politics much more than now, he said. And there could be immense consequences, he added, if we continue to neglect the susceptibility of young people to conspiracy theories. Over the past 10 years, the number of democracies has declined [and] long-standing democracies like the United States [and] India are in serious danger of falling, he said. If we continue the path we are continuing, I don't know how long some established democracies will survive. … And I think that's one of the far-reaching lessons from my research. LISTEN | Young people more likely to believe conspiracy theories, University of Ottawa research shows (new window)
07-07-2025
Building Canada Act leaves much open to interpretation on Indigenous consultation, says lawyer
An Anishinaabe lawyer says fuller, meaningful engagement needs to happen with Indigenous Peoples if the federal government wants to make the right decisions on projects under the new Building Canada Act. Sara Mainville, a partner at JFK Law and former chief of Couchiching First Nation in northwestern Ontario, said under the Building Canada Act, once a project is deemed in the national interest, it would be difficult to roll it back. The act was passed last week and aims to speed up projects of national interest, including energy development projects, by allowing special designated projects to bypass some federal laws. Mainville said under the legislation, Indigenous groups potentially impacted by a project should be part of the process deciding if it is in fact of national interest. They have to make the right decision each and every time, said Mainville. They could only do that with fuller engagement, meaningful engagement with First Nations, Inuit and Métis people. The bill says that among factors that may be considered in deciding if a project is within the nation's interest are whether it advances the interests of Indigenous peoples and if it contributes to clean growth and to meeting Canada's objectives with respect to climate change. Mainville said this leaves a lot to be interpreted. Advancement of Indigenous interests is such generic language, like what does that mean in a real way? she said. This is really going to be for the courts to decide, unfortunately, unless there's some real markers put in place. Mainville said if processes are not in the legislation, there's no guarantee they will happen. This idea of 'just trust us, we're gonna get this right,' it's asking too much of First Nations with real interests in this area that potentially is going to be impacted by this pipeline, said Mainville. Impacts of pipelines on B.C.'s north coast Alberta Premier Danielle Smith spoke to CBC Radio's The Early Edition Wednesday about reviving a plan to build a pipeline to bring oilsands crude to B.C.'s north coast for export to Asia, with the endpoint in Prince Rupert, B.C. An organization representing the Gitga'at, Gitxaała, Haida, Heiltsuk, Kitasoo Xai'Xais, Metlakatla, Nuxalk and Wuikinuxv First Nations told CBC Indigenous last week that they wouldn't be in favour of any new pipelines in their region. Smith said on The Early Edition that bitumen, the type of petroleum mined in the oil sands, is the single most valuable product in Alberta, worth about $9 trillion. No one leaves $9 trillion in the ground; we have to find a way to get it to market, said Smith. Smith said it would be essential for any linear infrastructure project to have Indigenous ownership across the line. I would just ask for people to have an open mind and see that if we can identify the issues that are causing concern, work through them one at a time, I think that we would be stronger as a country, said Smith. Rashid Sumaila, a professor at the University of British Columbia and Canada research chair in interdisciplinary oceans and fisheries economics, studies the overall cost of projects like pipelines on society, taking into account impacts on the environment and societal implications now and for future generations. In 2012, Sumaila estimated (new window) that a major oil spill cleanup on B.C.'s North Coast could cost up to $9.6 billion, and cost the region's commercial fisheries, port, ferry transportation and tourism industries more than $300 million. (new window) Sumaila said other costs are intangible, like the impact on First Nations culture if there is a reduction in salmon. What's the value of that? That doesn't go into the big company calculations, said Sumaila. Sumaila said there are benefits to projects like pipelines in the short term, like profit and jobs for individuals, but the long term negative costs are usually left to the larger society to deal with. I think we need to zoom really sharply on the fact that there's usually a disconnect between those who gain and those who bear the cost, said Sumaila. Mainville said cumulative impact is a tool First Nations in B.C. could potentially use to stop unwanted resource developments. A B.C. Supreme Court decision in 2021 found that cumulative impacts of extensive industrial resource development unjustifiably infringed on Blueberry River First Nations' treaty rights (new window) , leaving its members unable to exercise their rights on much of their traditional territory. As a result the court ordered the province to prohibit further development in the area that would infringe on Blueberry First Nations' treaty rights. Similar thing can happen along these coastal regions where there's just too much development, said Mainville. The federal government has said the prime minister will meet with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis in the coming weeks, with the first meeting happening on July 17 with First Nations. Jackie McKay (new window) · CBC News
