Senate passes emissions-targets bill

Source: Aidan Chamandy · IPOLITICS · | June 29, 2021

Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson's major climate bill just passed the Senate. (Photo courtesy of the Office of the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard)

The Liberal government’s greenhouse-gas emissions-targets bill was approved by the Senate on Tuesday, passing its final vote by a 60 to 19 margin, with two abstentions.

All that’s left for the bill to become law is royal assent, which should be given to it within the next few days by Supreme Court Chief Justice Richard Wagner, who’s serving as administrator of Canada until a new governor general is appointed.

The bill’s passage is a win for the Liberal government. Government House Leader Pablo Rodriguez said the bill was one of four priority pieces of legislation that needed to be passed before the summer recess. Out of the other three, only Bill C-30, which would implement the budget, appears as though it’ll pass before the Senate rises for the summer.

The urgency was underlined by a possible election in the next few months. There’s been rampant speculation that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is set to call a vote. The current minority Parliament has lasted longer than the average lifespan for a minority and polls are showing good signs for the Liberals. Trudeau and other ministers have also complained that Parliament has become dysfunctional, and MPs not running in the next election were recently given an opportunity to make farewell speeches in the House.

Any bills still up for debate in the Senate at the time of an election call will die.

Green groups were wary of that possibility for Bill C-12, the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act, and tried to pressure the Senate to pass the bill quickly.

“Finally, Canada adopts a comprehensive climate accountability framework,” said Independent Sen. Rosa Galvez, the bill’s sponsor in the Senate, in a statement to iPolitics.

“We need this methodically planned framework to hold this and all consecutive governments accountable for demonstrating how they will achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Governments will no longer be able to set climate targets without being accountable to Canadians on their plan to achieve our objectives,” she said.