Canada’s emissions reductions slowed in 2024, federal data shows

OTTAWA — The latest annual account of greenhouse gas emissions shows Canada’s emissions reductions slowed in 2024 to almost nothing.

Environment and Climate Change Canada quietly published its national inventory report on Wednesday, something it’s required to submit annually to the United Nations. Those reports were once announced with much fanfare, including news releases and media interviews with the environment minister.

Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin issued no news release and made no public statement to coincide with the latest report. When asked for comment on Friday, her office provided a statement to The Canadian Press touting the latest figures as “proof Canada can build a stronger economy while reducing Canada’s emissions.”

“Through our 2025 climate competitiveness strategy, we are going further by introducing enhanced oil and gas and landfill methane regulations that will cut 400 megatonnes of emissions,” Keean Nembhard, Dabrusin’s press secretary, said in a statement, adding the latest report indicates methane levels in 2024 were the lowest since monitoring began in 1990.

The latest emissions report tracks data which predates Prime Minister Mark Carney’s leadership, which has seen a number of climate measures rolled back in favour of advancing his economic agenda. Carney cancelled the consumer carbon price and a made deal with Alberta that is expected to see the government scrap the emissions cap on oil and gas production.

The report shows emissions dropped by 0.3 per cent in 2024 compared to 2023, bringing them down to 685 megatonnes of CO2 equivalent.

Increases in emissions from the oil and gas and agriculture sectors offset decreases in electricity production, transportation and buildings. Oil and gas production accounts for 30 per cent of Canada’s total emissions.

Canada has committed to reducing its emissions to 40 and 45 per cent below 2005 levels, and modelling has shown Canada is likely to miss its targets.

The latest figures for 2024 show a 10.3 per cent reduction from 2005 levels, with total emissions down 78 million tones in 21 years. To hit the 2030 target, Canada must reduce emissions by at least another 227 million tonnes over the next six years.

A 10 per cent reduction since 2005 places Canada among the worst performers in the G7, and the report comes as Dabrusin is set to travel to Berlin and Paris next week to meet with international counterparts and G7 environment ministers.

At a technical briefing ahead of her trip, senior officials from Environment and Climate Change Canada, speaking on background, said Dabrusin’s message to international partners is that Canada is still committed to meeting its Paris targets. One official said Canada remains committed to reaching its target, a message Carney has also expressed.

One official said the international conversations are also about the challenges many countries face in meeting their climate commitments.

Former environment minister Steven Guilbeault, who was responsible for the portfolio during the time period captured in the latest report, said the latest figures aren’t totally surprising.

“A number of the measures that I put in place, we knew it would take some time before those measures started to significantly reduce emissions,” Guilbeault said in an interview with La Presse Canadienne.

He said even measures which aren’t in effect yet — like the pending clean electricity regulations — forced companies to make investment decisions in anticipation of those new regulations coming into force.

Still, despite the slowing of emissions reductions, Guilbeault said it’s important for the government to strengthen its climate policies.

“In the inventory report, we see that the oil and gas sector continues to increase its emissions, he said.

“Hence the importance of the (oil and gas emissions cap), hence the importance of not delaying by five years the methane regulations, hence the importance of an industrial carbon price that continues to increase after 2030.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 17, 2026.

— With files from Stéphane Blais in Montreal