e-4469 (Health)

The Minister of the Environment and Climate Change recognizes the importance of providing environmental information that promotes and encourages practices and conduct that help to preserve the environment. Environmental literacy is critical to tackling the environmental challenges Canada is facing today and will face tomorrow.

By better understanding environmental issues and the solutions that exist, Canadians can make better informed choices that will help reduce their carbon footprint. Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) engages with Canadians in promoting sustainable actions and explaining the science of climate change, among many things. ECCC also works with federal partners to ensure sustained public communications about the various programs and incentives available to Canadians to support their environmental actions.

The Government of Canada recognizes that the oil and gas sector is a major contributor to Canada's economy. It is also Canada's largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. That is why the Government continues to engage with oil and gas companies, provinces and territories, Indigenous organizations, and other stakeholders to develop an emissions cap that will ensure the oil and gas sector's emissions decline on a trajectory needed to meet the shared goal of net zero by 2050.

The Government’s plan includes a projected contribution for the oil and gas sector of a 31 per cent reduction from 2005 levels, which is equivalent to 42 per cent from 2019 levels and will guide the Government’s work to develop the cap on emissions from the oil and gas sector. The Government has also invested more than $2.9 billion in charging infrastructure, providing financial support to make buying zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) more affordable, supporting clean medium- and heavy-duty transportation projects, and developing a regulated sales mandate so that 100 per cent of new passenger vehicles sold in Canada will be zero emission by 2035, with interim targets of at least 20 per cent by 2026, and at least 60 per cent by 2030.

Obtaining impactful reductions in greenhouse gas emissions will inevitably require large-scale systems changesthat influence, for example, where Canadian energy comes from, how Canadians transport and feed themselves, and how Canadians consume and produce waste. These changes will require widespread adoption of new practices among various actors, both large and small, in addition to the development of new clean technologies.

As part of its mandate to engage with Canadians to better communicate the impact of climate changes, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) has developed and implemented a number of paid advertising campaigns to increase awareness of actions, programs and incentives among Canadians audiences in an effort to encourage pro-climate behaviour. The Our Healthy Environment & Economy (OHEE) advertising campaign ran from 2021-22, informing Canadians of existing efforts that were underway in the fight against climate change, as well as Government of Canada programs, incentives, and efforts available to accelerate the fight against climate change and further encourage climate action.  The Nature-based Climate Solutions (NBCS) campaign launched in February 2023 focused on increasing awareness and understanding of nature’s role in adapting to and mitigating climate change. ECCC is currently developing a third large-scale advertising campaign that will work toward increasing Canadians’ understanding of climate action, specifically by addressing known barriers and leveraging motivators of pro-climate attitudes and behaviour to ultimately move motivated Canadians from intention to action.