Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin says Canadians must show more “ambition” if the country is to meet its climate goals — even as the federal environment commissioner says Canada has the worst emissions record in the G7.“We know the emissions target for 2030 is really ambitious,” Dabrusin told reporters. “But Canadians are ambitious. It’s going to be hard to do, but we’re going to keep working to make sure we get Canada to net zero by 2050.”Blacklock's Reporter said her comments came after Environment Commissioner Jerry DeMarco told senators Canada is the only G7 nation where greenhouse gas emissions have risen since 1990. .“Our body of work shows a troubling trend,” said DeMarco. “We’ve been the worst among the G7 in reducing emissions since 1990.”DeMarco said other countries have managed faster progress and that Canada’s failures reflect a lack of accountability. “We’ve gone from being seen as a climate leader decades ago to being, in practice, a poor performer,” he said. “If it has been accepted within government that as long as we have a commitment and a plan that’s enough, and results are secondary, then that to me is unacceptable.”Nova Scotia Sen. Stan Kutcher questioned whether Ottawa has lost focus on results. .“Somewhere along the way we have lost accountability and responsibility for meeting those goals,” he said.DeMarco warned that Canada’s poor record has real human consequences, citing deaths linked to extreme weather such as the British Columbia heat dome and growing wildfire seasons.“People do die as a result of severe weather that has become more frequent and more intense because of climate change,” he said. “The consequences have become that severe.”
