Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in an official speech on Wednesday said that the Canadian federal government would immediately bring forward the 2030 climate goal and confirmed it is proceeding with plans to ban “harmful” single-use plastics in 2021. Trudeau also added that the government would legislate the goal to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Under the Paris accord, Canada is aiming to reduce emissions to 30% below 2005 levels, by 2030.
The ban on disposable plastics, announced in 2019, will likely be passed despite its sanitary value amid the coronavirus pandemic. Canadian chemical and plastic industry group Chemistry Industry Association of Canada (CIAC), has yet to respond to the government’s plans. Industry executives have previously expressed their scepticism toward the ban on single-use plastics. The industry is also concerned about the planned federal Clean Fuel Standards, which is likely to boost production costs of chemicals and plastics in Canada.
