Canadas national climate strategy lacks essential elements and Indigenous input, says auditor general

The federal government’s attempt to develop a national strategy to deal with ever-changing climate is falling short of its intended goals, according to a new report from the Commissioner of Environment and Sustainable Development. When introduced, Canada put $1.6 billion towards the National Adaptation Strategy that is supposed to serve as a road map for helping Canadians prepare for the impacts of the climate crisis, including dealing with wildfires and severe weather events. Environment and Climate Change Canada, the lead agency, estimated that every dollar spent on proactive adaptation measures saves taxpayers between $13 and $15 in the long term,” says the report released Tuesday. But Commissioner Jerry DeMarco says the strategy “has faced significant challenges in its design and implementation” and “lacked the essential elements to make it effective.” “The missing elements included a prioritization of Canada’s climate change risks, an economic analysis to assign appropriate resources to different federal adaptation actions, a comprehensive federal action plan, and an effective framework for measuring and monitoring results,” his report says. The Commissioner of Environment and Sustainable Development is a department in the auditor general’s office. Seven key “actions” were assessed in the report and the auditor found “implementation was limited,” including development of the Indigenous Climate Leadership Agenda or ICLA. The ICLA is one of three components of the government’s plan to prepare Canadians for climate change. It’s goal is to be the “main pathway to support self-determined action to address Indigenous peoples’ climate priorities, including adaptation” and “implement Indigenous knowledge into climate adaptation policy.” “Although Environment and Climate Change Canada was engaging key partners on the Indigenous Climate Leadership Agenda, we found that it had not been launched as of 1 December 2024,” the report said. “Additionally, although First Nations, Inuit, and Métis organizations had each released national climate strategies, we found that Environment and Climate Change Canada had not formally assessed the coherence between federal programming and Indigenous-led strategies.” The commissioner said the “successful implementation of Canada’s National Adaptation Strategy depends on strong leadership and effective actions. Given that climate change has no borders, the strategy requires collaboration and coordination of adaptation actions across the whole of society, while respecting the jurisdiction and responsibilities of different levels of government and upholding Indigenous rights.” One of the reasons the federal government proposed the strategy was the rising cost of severe weather events. For example, the 1993 flooding in Quebec cost $1.2 billion while the 2024 Calgary hailstorm and Toronto floods cost $8.6 billion. The strategy’s three components which are actions by the government of Canada; the Indigenous Climate Leadership Agenda and federal, provincial and territorial action plans. “Canada released its National Adaptation Strategy in 2023, which is an important first step. However, it was one of the last countries of the Organisation of Economic Co‑operation and Development to do so,” noted the commissioner. “Timely action on adaptation measures is important because the costs of climate‑related events continue to rise, meaning Canadians will pay more to adapt the longer we delay action. “We found that the plan [National Adaptation Strategy] was neither systematic nor comprehensive,” the report said. The report is timely Canadian forces personnel help with the evacuation order from Sandy Lake First Nation. Photo courtesy: Royal Canadian Air Force. In northern Ontario and the Prairies, 25,814 people have been forced from their homes due to wildfires. According to the report, the health impacts of short-term exposure to wildfire smoke alone was estimated to cost up to $1.8 billion a year between 2013 and 2018. In B.C., 34 special weather statements are in place in southern parts of the province. The mercury hit 36.7 Celsius in Osoyoos Monday afternoon, making it the hottest place in Canada, a day after 15 daily records were set in B.C. The province is also bracing for massive wildfires due to the dry conditions. “An improved National Adaptation Strategy and timely action to adapt to our changing climate and extreme weather are critical to protect the health, safety, and livelihoods of Canadians,” said the commissioner. “We first recommended the development of a strategy to adapt to Canada’s changing climate nearly 20 years ago. Although the release of the National Adaptation Strategy in 2023 was an important first step, urgent attention is still needed to achieve impactful action. The sooner that Canada acts, the more sustainable the outcomes for people’s health, safety, and livelihoods.” Canada is expected to see a warmer-than-usual summer with uncertain precipitation levels in most provinces, based on Environment and Climate Change Canada’s summer forecast. Species at Risk Another section of the report deals with species at risk and the federal government’s attempts to sustain marine resources off Canada’s three coasts. Three federal departments are responsible for monitoring the habitat to protect species at risk. According to the commissioner, the government’s plans are “undermined by incomplete information and insufficient monitoring.” The commissioner said habitat loss is the most significant threat to species at risk. The audit found that while these three departments identified habitat using the “best available information to them at the time,” they were all slow to gather enough information to “fully identify critical habitat.” “The audit also found that Environment and Climate Change Canada and Fisheries and Oceans Canada did limited monitoring of conservation actions for critical habitat on federal lands. This resulted in organizations having little or no knowledge of whether these activities were meeting their objectives and left them little ability to course correct.” The commissioner said his auditors found that “delays and gaps in information that have hindered the protection and recovery of species at risk,” said DeMarco. “Responsible departments need to gather more data and improve monitoring to deliver on the commitment that Canada made in 2022, through the Global Biodiversity Framework, to halt and reverse biodiversity loss, which includes preventing the extinction of species at risk.” The loss of habitat is the primary threat for most species of risk. The report comes at a time when the federal government and several provinces are pushing for major projects to try and counter economic threats from the United States. Ontario recently passed a law that gave the government sweeping powers to override environmental legislation if it gets in the way of a project being constructed. First Nations have been especially critical of the law known as Bill 5. Oceans Management DeMarco said Fisheries and Oceans Canada, also known as DFO, has made little progress “over nearly three decades” in leading an “integrated approach to sustaining marine resources in the Pacific, Arctic, and Atlantic oceans.” The commissioner said climate change and “increasing human activity in the oceans” are hurting the health of marine life and threatening biodiversity across the planet. The audit found that while the department worked with partners in five priority regions to develop ocean management plans, “these were abstract and did not lead to concrete actions,” according to the report. “Integrated ocean planning became part was established in of federal law nearly three decades ago; Canadians are still waiting for it to be implemented,” DeMarco said. “In the face of climate change and competing interests, it is more important than ever that Fisheries and Oceans Canada deliver on its leadership responsibilities.” “Given the current state of Canada’s integrated oceans management approach, it is highly unlikely that the government will achieve its recent commitment under the United Nations’ Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework to ensure that all of the country’s marine areas are managed in an integrated and effective way by its target date of 2030,” the commissioner said. Continue Reading