A federal report warns casualties of climate change policy may include families that cannot afford higher fuel costs, oil and gas workers and indigenous people. According to Blacklock's Reporter, there was no evidence federal agencies were aware of the consequences, it said..“Some measures may have a disproportionate impact on lower income Canadians if they lead to increased energy or vehicle costs,” said the Department of Environment report. “Similarly large scale infrastructure projects such as transmission lines may impact Indigenous rights.”.“The transition to a net zero economy may have a different social, economic or other impact on population groups,” said the December 20 report Evaluation Of The Core Climate Change Mitigation Program. “For example, if they lead to increased energy or vehicle costs some mitigation actions may have a disproportionate impact on lower income Canadians.”.“It is likely that a sizeable workforce will need to transition out of the oil and gas sector,” it said. “Indigenous communities may be at risk if the social impact is not considered or embedded in policy.”.The report said despite $494.6 million in budgeting to cover the estimated 12-year costs of introducing climate regulations, the Department of Environment had no data on unintended consequences of its program, pro or con. “There is no evidence that beneficial and adverse economic and social impacts of mitigation measures are being measured or estimated for population groups across relevant identity factors,” wrote researchers..The report did not calculate financial impacts on families or estimated job cuts by industry. “Transportation, oil and gas and electricity sectors remain appropriate targets for mitigation,” it said. “However an increased pace, stringency and scope of measures are needed for these sectors to be able to meet recent federal commitments and targets.”.The latest report follows other federal documents cautioning that climate measures would lead to job cuts and lower incomes. The Department of Natural Resources in a 2022 memo Key Messages On Just Transition warned 2.7 million Canadians work in sectors that face “significant labour market disruptions” included farming, drilling, refining, mining, milling and trucking. “How many jobs will be lost in the oil and gas sector as a result of the Government of Canada’s climate change actions?” asked the memo. “The answer to this question depends.”.The Department of Environment in a 2020 Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement also warned of “energy poverty in the future” if gasoline, propane, heating oil and diesel are to be replaced with costlier alternatives.
