Major Points on Turning the Corner

June 28, 2007

• The Federal Government unveiled “Turning the Corner: An Action Plan to Reduce Greenhouse Gases and Air Pollution” on April 26th.

• Four areas of concern are targeted in the Action Plan: industrial emissions; transportation; consumer and commercial products; and indoor air quality.

• On the first item of industrial air emissions, the Action plan outlines how the government of Canada will move forward on three fronts: First, a regulatory framework for greenhouse gas emissions; second, a regulatory framework for air pollutants; and third, issues of compliance, penalties and enforcement.

• On the second front of transportation, “Turning the Corner” proposes initiatives to reduce air emissions from motor vehicles, rail, marine, aviation and on-road and off-road vehicles and engines.

• On a third front, consumer and commercial products, the Federal Government is developing and will implement regulations to strengthen required energy performance standards for various products. Turning the Corner also proposes measures to reduce volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions.

• On the fourth and final front, Turning the Corner proposes to develop measures for improving indoor air quality.

• Turning the Corner goes beyond Kyoto to propose measures to address not just CO2 emissions, but also other harmful pollutant emissions like nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides, volatile organic compounds and particulate matter.

• The government’s action plan contains the following targets for greenhouse gas reductions: To stop the growth in greenhouse gases by 2010 to 2012; to cut them by 20% or 150 megatonnes by 2020; and cut them by up to 70% by 2050.

• With respect to air pollutant emissions that cause smog and acid rain, Turning the Corner proposes to cut these emissions by up to 55% as early as 2012 compared to 2006 levels.

• The greenhouse gas reduction targets agreed to by the previous government called for Canada to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by six per cent below 1990 levels beginning in 2008. Canada’s last report to the United Nations showed that we were 35 per cent above that target.

• Canada is committed to actively participating in the United Nations’ processes on climate change. But meeting our emission reduction target of 6 % below 1990 levels by 2008-2012 is simply not possible without imposing punitive costs on Canada, or sending Canadian dollars overseas to buy hot air on the international market.

• Canada cannot reach its target within the specified timeframe and we cannot do in 8 months what would have taken 15 years to complete. It would lead to deep recession, major job losses, and a significant decline in incomes for Canadians.