2025 Federal Election: Tracking Environmental Commitments
This webpage provides a brief overview of the environmental platforms of Canadian federal parties for the 2025 election to help inform voters and encourage bold climate commitments. It will be updated twice a week leading up to the vote on April 28. For a more in-depth summary and analysis of each party’s climate commitments, read WHEN’s full report here.
This blog post was written by Lily Farinaccio, WHEN’s Policy Analyst.
The Canadian federal election is here, and political parties are already making promises about what they’ll deliver to Canadians. But what about their climate commitments, specifically? Why do they matter – and, are they enough?
This webpage provides an overview of the key environmental promises from four main federal parties: the Liberals, Conservatives, New Democrats, and Greens. The commitments are organized based on five factors: carbon neutrality and net-zero, sustainable development, adaptation strategies and emergency preparedness, environmental justice and Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA+), and commitment to reconciliation and respect for the rights of Indigenous peoples.
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CARBON NEUTRALITY
Definition:
Carbon neutrality refers to having a balance between emitting carbon and absorbing carbon from the atmosphere in carbon sinks (forests, oceans, wetlands, etc.). Net zero is similar but refers to balancing the emissions of all greenhouse gases (GHGs), including methane and nitrous oxide.
Importance:
Human activities, mainly the burning of fossil fuels, have led to global warming and our current climate crisis. Urgent emission cuts and government action are needed to prevent catastrophic climate impacts and secure a sustainable future.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Definition:
Sustainable development promotes harmony between economic growth, environmental protection, and human rights, ensuring current needs are met without compromising future generations.
Importance:
Unsustainable development has led to global crises, including climate change, environmental destruction, conflict, and inequality. To secure a livable future, governments must prioritize long-term environmental and social well-being over short-term profit.
ADAPTATION STRATEGIES AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
Definition:
Adaptation strategies are strategies implemented by governments to adapt to extreme weather events and changes resulting from climate change, such as heat waves, forest fires, droughts, and floods, in an attempt to make the country less vulnerable to these events.
Importance:
As climate impacts intensify, adaptation is vital to protect communities as these impacts affect the very foundations of our lives – our homes, communities, health, food systems, and the natural environment that we depend on.
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND GBA+
Definition:
Environmental justice promotes fair access to environmental benefits and decision-making, especially for marginalized communities. GBA+ ensures governments identify and address impacts policies and initiatives may have on different communities, such as Indigenous, racialized, woman-identifying, and low-income groups.
Importance:
While environmental stressors, including rising temperatures and extreme weather events, affect everyone, marginalized groups are disproportionately affected. Government initiatives must address these unequal impacts to ensure a just and inclusive response to the climate crisis.
COMMITMENT TO RECONCILIATION AND RESPECT FOR THE RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
Definition:
Reconciliation involves restoring and establishing respectful relationships with Indigenous peoples.
Importance:
Canada’s colonial history continues to harm Indigenous communities through systemic injustices. True reconciliation requires meaningful, structural government action that respects Indigenous rights and addresses ongoing inequities.
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