CALGARY — Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) has abandoned its work on banning thermal coal exports without notifying the public or documenting an official direction to stop the work, according to a new auditor general’s report.The report, tabled Thursday, found ECCC stopped working on the ban in November 2024 following lobbying from the coal industry, despite Canada’s 2021 commitment to end thermal coal exports by 2030, according to the Canadian Press.“The department did not produce evidence of an official direction to discontinue work on the ban in 2024,” the report stated.ECCC explored using existing legislation to enforce the ban between October 2021 and February 2024, including regulating thermal coal as a toxic substance, similar to Ottawa’s single-use plastics policy.However, by February 2024, officials had shifted toward non-regulatory approaches such as voluntary measures before abandoning the work in November.The decision to do so was not formally documented until August 2025, when the federal government was looking for cost-saving measures..Canada’s coal industry seeks critical mineral status amid growing global steel demand.“While the commitment had been announced internationally and noted in multiple federal strategies, the work on the ban was stopped with no public announcement,” the report said.The audit found thermal coal exports from Canadian ports were higher in 2025 than in 2021, with 61% of shipments originating in the US.A significant amount of American coal is transported by rail to BC ports before heading to Asian markets, as US exporters face challenges developing Pacific Coast export infrastructure.In August, former BC premier David Eby called on Ottawa to accelerate its phaseout of thermal coal exports, apparently unaware that the Liberal government had already stopped working on the ban.“The lack of public information and updates on the government's current approach is concerning,” the report said.Auditors found ECCC never informed Global Affairs Canada of its November 2024 decision to abandon the export ban, despite the latter department having provided advice on potential trade risks associated with implementing it.“We found that Global Affairs Canada was involved in the work on the thermal coal export ban only at the request of Environment and Climate Change Canada,” the report said.“In accordance with its responsibilities for foreign affairs and trade policy, Global Affairs Canada provided information on the trade risks associated with potential implementation options for a thermal coal export ban.”
