Canada’s environment commissioner Jerry DeMarco has sharply criticized Ottawa’s National Adaptation Strategy, revealing in a new report that the $1.6 billion plan to prepare for climate change has been poorly designed, slow to launch, and lacking measurable progress. Released in 2023, the strategy aimed to help communities mitigate rising threats from extreme weather, but DeMarco says it fails to prioritize major risks and has completed just one of its three components.
Despite Canada’s late entry into national climate adaptation compared to countries like Japan, Germany, and the UK, the federal government has still not developed an updated system to integrate new climate risks or added any new targets until 2030. The report highlights gaps in addressing urgent issues like wildfire smoke, costing up to $1.8 billion annually, and the surge in Lyme disease cases, which have risen over 1,500% since 2009.
DeMarco’s audit found limited connection between program funding and actual strategy outcomes. Of seven key federal programs reviewed, accounting for $1.1 billion, there was no clear evidence they contributed meaningfully to implementing the strategy. The $164 million flood hazard mapping project, for example, showed “minimal early actions” and weak alignment with strategic goals.
Two crucial pillars—the Indigenous climate leadership agenda and federal-provincial-territorial action plans—remain incomplete. Despite Indigenous groups having their own national climate strategies, Environment and Climate Change Canada has yet to evaluate how federal efforts align with them.
The commissioner warned that without a coordinated, transparent, and target-driven approach, Canadians face mounting risks with no accountability or assurance of value for the billions being spent.
Swifteradio.com
