Environment groups suing Ottawa over projected missed emission targets

Environment and Climate Change Minister Julie Dabrusin,left, and Prime Minister Mark Carney take part in an announcement in Wakefield, Que., Tuesday, March 31, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA — A group of climate advocates is suing the federal government, saying recent policy changes have put it off track to meet Canada’s legislated emission reduction targets.

An application for judicial review filed on Monday asks the Federal Court to order Ottawa to bring its 2030 emissions reductions plan into compliance with the Net-Zero Accountability Act.

The application also says that, in lieu of such an order, the Federal Court should declare Ottawa’s emission reductions plan unlawful under the act.

Environmental Defence and the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment are named as applicants in the lawsuit, along with climate activists Marie Maltais, Sophia Mathur and Shirley Barnea.

“This act requires transparency and accountability. And neither of those are being followed through at the moment,” Julia Levin, the associate director of national climate at Environment Defence, told a news conference Tuesday.

“Nothing that the government has proposed makes up for what it has gutted, eliminated, dismantled.”

The Net-Zero Accountability Act, which passed in 2021, legally commits Canada to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 and requires the government to set national emission reduction targets along the way -- though there are no consequences for missing them.

A progress report published in December shows the government is nowhere near on track to meet its current target of cutting emissions to 40 to 45 per cent below 2005 levels.

The lawsuit filed Monday alleges Ottawa doesn’t intend to take measures to meet its 2030 target.

“Since the 2030 (emissions reduction plan) was established, the Government of Canada has eliminated, weakened, and/or significantly altered key measures described in the (plan),” the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit points to the elimination of the consumer carbon price in March 2025 -- on Prime Minister Mark Carney’s first day in office -- along with a “weakened” industrial carbon pricing system following an agreement with Alberta last month which had ramifications for every other province and territory.

The lawsuit also points to the repeal of the electric vehicle sales mandate, the cancellation of the oil and gas emissions cap, a delay in application of methane regulations in Alberta and measures weakening the clean electricity standard.

Carney has for months been accused of backsliding on Canada’s climate initiatives. Former Liberal environment minister Steven Guilbeault announced his plans to resign as an MP weeks ago, citing the government’s new direction on climate.

All of those changes cited in the lawsuit have been praised by industry stakeholders. The government still has not produced modelling to show how those changes would affect Canada’s emissions.

Speaking with The Canadian Press Wednesday, Levin accused Carney of making decisions without letting his government produce emissions modelling to inform its policy shifts.

“I don’t know how he’s justifying the decisions he’s making but it isn’t evidence-based,” Levin said.

A spokesperson for Dabrusin said in a media statement the department is aware of the lawsuit but can’t comment further as it’s before the courts.

“The government of Canada is committed to fighting climate change and reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. We will continue working to build a clean, low-carbon and resilient country,” said Keean Nembhard, the minister’s press secretary.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 17, 2026.