By: James Wilt (Policy Development Manager for Climate Action Team Manitoba)
In the name of supposedly “Trump-proofing” their economies, governments across Canada are ramming through legislation to fast-track a wide range of megaprojects that are arbitrarily deemed to be in the “national interest” or “provincially significant.” For instance, federal Bill C-5, or the Building Canada Act, will enable cabinet to conditionally approve chosen projects from the get-go, greatly accelerating impact assessments and even allowing for projects to be exempted from laws and regulations. Likewise, Ontario’s Bill 5, or the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, allows for the creation of “special economic zones” that would suspend or modify rules for chosen projects, especially in the so-called “Ring of Fire.” These bills have so far been largely linked to new export-oriented fossil fuel and mining projects, including the prospect of yet another major oilsands pipeline.
Unsurprisingly, the federal legislation and the lack of consultation around it has triggered enormous backlash from many Indigenous and environmental organizations. Federal Justice Minister Sean Fraser is already having to walk back his claims that Indigenous Nations don’t have “veto” powers over project proposals and environmental law group Ecojustice is slamming the federal bill as “part of a disturbing trend that weakens democracy and sidelines Parliament” that “risks incentivizing backroom politicking and closed-door negotiating with powerful corporations.” The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) have also criticized the highly compressed window for review and consultation of Bill C-5, meaning it “excludes the very Nations who will be most impacted by these decisions, and once again prioritizes federal ambitions over First Nations rights, jurisdiction, and governance.”
While Manitoba hasn’t introduced this type of legislation, Premier Wab Kinew has fully embraced this doctrine of fast-tracking megaprojects for the purposes of resource extraction and export. In a May 7 letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney, Kinew argued that the province’s “central location with access to arctic tide water will enable Canadian energy, agriculture producers, miners, and manufacturers to deliver goods to new markets while also fortifying Canada’s arctic security.” Specifically, Kinew highlighted five “nation-building projects” that he wants fast-tracked: 1) a trade corridor to the Port of Churchill to ship “critical minerals” and possibly oil or gas via pipeline; 2) investments in facilities to accelerate agricultural exports; 3) completing the twinning of the Trans-Canada Highway to Ontario; 4) developing infrastructure for “critical minerals” development; and 5) establishing “Indigenous Fair Trade Zones” that are exempt from tariffs.
Kinew’s proposals represent a wide range of projects across the province only connected by the common thread of resource extraction and increased exports. It is unclear what research or consultation went into selecting these projects. Making matters worse, however, is that they ignore the rapidly escalating crisis of global heating altogether, and even threaten to further accelerate it with new oil and gas infrastructure (like a pipeline to Hudson Bay) and highway expansion for freight trucking (one of the most emissions-intensive and hard-to-decarbonize sectors). Kinew and the Manitoba government are failing to recognize the extreme threats of the climate crisis and advocate for projects that rapidly cut Manitoba’s greenhouse gas emissions—a necessity made clearer than ever with the devastating wildfires causing evacuations of tens of thousands of people. Instead, they are asking for federal money and support for business-as-usual projects that betray their own previous climate commitments.
Manitoba needs to slash its emissions—and quickly
In June 2019, in the wake of the Global Climate Strike for Future, Kinew introduced an important opposition bill that would have committed Manitoba to the ambitious target of reducing emissions to 45 per cent below 2010 levels by 2030 and zero-emissions by 2050, permitting a maximum of 10.6 megatonnes (Mt) of emissions per year by 2030. Given that Manitoba’s emissions have continued to increase since 2010, meeting such a commitment requires the province to cut emissions in half in the next five years. But even this speed of emissions reductions is likely insufficient given that the world is close to breaching the 1.5°C threshold, with every additional tonne of emissions increasing the threats of extreme weather events such as wildfires, droughts, and floods. Recent analysis has recommended that G7 countries must further strengthen their targets to about 60 per cent below 2019 levels by 2030, and at least 75 per cent by 2035, requiring extremely rapid and aggressive transformations.
Manitoba’s total emissions may be small in the context of Canada and the world. However, like with the rest of the country, the province’s per-capita emissions are about three times higher than the global average: about 15.3 tonnes per person in Manitoba compared to 4.7 tonnes per person globally. Canada is also the 10th largest current and cumulative emitter of any country in the world, responsible for a massive 65.5 gigatonnes (Gt) of emissions between 1850 and 2021: about half from fossil fuel use, and half from land-use change and forestry. In fact, Canada has the highest cumulative emissions on a per-capita basis than any other country in the world. Although Manitoba has almost entirely zero-emissions electricity generation due to its vast network of hydroelectric dams, it still emits sizable emissions from agriculture, transportation, space heating, and waste. It’s crucial that Manitoba not only does its “fair share” to slash its own emissions while improving emergency response and adaptation measures—but also shows leadership in greatly increasing Canada’s climate finance contributions to the Global South, which has the least responsibility for but greatest vulnerability to global heating.
Many opportunities for emissions reductions, green jobs, and improved quality-of-life
Fast-tracking projects and circumventing laws is a recipe for a disaster, especially when it comes to Indigenous consent and self-determination. The framing of various bills and even counter-proposals in the language of “nation-building” is additionally troubling due to its colonial implications. At the same time, there is a clear need for rapid public investments that drastically reduce emissions, improve quality-of-life, and create good green jobs. Rather than continue to fall in line with right-wing politicians across the country in calling for greater resource extraction and exports, Kinew can and should focus on quickly scaling up measures including:
- Restore operating funding for urban, rural, remote and Northern public transit
- Advance deep energy retrofits and district heating using ground-source heat, administered via a centralized agency or utility
- Strengthen methane regulations, monitoring, and enforcement, especially of oil and gas sector
- Create a provincial farm resilience agency to accelerate reductions of synthetic fertilizer use, transition from industrial animal agriculture and improve soil testing
- Cap and reduce industrial emissions from large emitters such as manufacturers of fertilizer, limestone, ethanol fuel and food products
- Establish a province-wide composting program to divert organic waste from landfills
- Attend to calls by the Assembly of First Nations to “start with fast-tracking the basics like clean water, quality housing, modern schools, all-season roads and community infrastructure,” which also offer significant climate adaptation opportunities
- Provide vastly improved emergency response services and infrastructures for extreme weather events, particularly in Northern Manitoba
- Work to protect and restore wetlands, grasslands and forests
- Call for increased national contributions to international climate finance to the Global South
Such a combination of priorities would start to quickly reduce Manitoba’s emissions in line with its national and global responsibilities and better prepare the province for a future of ever-more climate emergencies. They would also help reduce cost-of-living and improve affordability in many areas, reiterating the whole-of-society benefits of a rapid transition to a zero-emissions future.