The Globe and Mail reports in its Thursday, Dec. 14, edition that it started as a Liberal campaign promise in 2021: to cap and reduce emissions in the oil business. A Globe editorial says the Liberal pledge was easy to advertise, clear and simple, especially viewed against a Conservative climate plan that was (and is) badly lacking. After two years of work, the final rules are still more than a year away. This fog of uncertainty leaves Canada in a costly limbo. The Liberals said draft regulations would land in mid-2024, with final rules in 2025. It s difficult for businesses to make decisions involving many billions of dollars, when proposed rules today could vanish tomorrow. This all follows legal and political upheavals around other climate debates in recent months. It s turning into a mess, just at the moment Canada should be speeding ahead on big bets for a low-carbon future.
Parcel out blame all the way around. The Liberals should have chosen the simpler, more durable policy. The Conservatives need to get serious on climate. The oil companies must move faster on cutting emissions. With the global promise to accelerate action this decade, Canada has to decide on the rules and get to work.
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