Mr. Chair, we are happy to appear before your committee this morning.

I would like to acknowledge that this hearing is taking place on the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people.

With me today are Kimberly Leach, principal, and Elsa Da Costa, director. They have conducted much of the audit work on climate change we have undertaken in recent years.

Since 1990, Canada has set out many plans, measures and targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but no target has been met. According to Environment and Climate Change Canada, national emissions in 2022 were 708 megatonnes. This is 7% lower than in 2005, but 16% higher than in 1990. According to the department's most recent projections, with existing measures, Canada will not deliver on its commitment to reduce emissions by 40% to 45% below 2005 levels by 2030. While Canada's overall emissions have increased since 1990, some sectors have achieved reductions, with the electricity sector leading the pack.

The good news is that there is still time to meet the 2030 target, but it will not happen without a significant shift toward implementing effective actions. The time is now to take stock of existing policies and plans, and to consider lessons learned from past efforts.

In November 2021, I provided to Parliament a report that sets out eight lessons learned from Canada's record on climate change. The report is based on three decades of audits focused on Canada's action, and inaction, on the enduring climate crisis. Given Canada's disappointing track record in addressing climate change, we urge the government to ensure its plans and actions work to meet its targets. At the time of our 2021 report, we noted that implementing the measures then in place was expected to yield reductions of 36% by 2030.

To help frame discussions on climate change such as this one, the lessons learned report also sets out critical questions for parliamentarians to consider as levers to prompt action against commitments. We have provided these in an appendix to this statement for your reference.

Environment and Climate Change Canada's first report under the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act was produced in 2023. It indicates that there is still a gap between the expected results of current actions and meeting the 2030 target. This legislation, if implemented diligently, should help establish the accountability and oversight framework needed to reduce emissions and achieve targets.

Since 2021, our office has reviewed approximately 40 of the more than 140 measures outlined in the 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan or in the progress report. Our most recent report on the subject, tabled last month, identified common systems that emerged from our findings, including delays in implementing measures, unreliable emission reduction estimates, and lack of transparency.

In our audit work, we noted that many experts and international organizations agree that a set of policies including a range of measures, such as regulations and carbon pricing, can contribute to significant emission reductions if measures are sufficiently stringent and applied on a large scale.

The ongoing climate change crisis is more important than ever. We are at a crossroads, both globally and domestically, and we have to make tough decisions about managing climate change and the kind of world we want to leave for future generations.

It's clear that new or improved measures are needed to put Canada on the right track toward meeting the 2030 emissions reduction target. In this context, "on the right track" means three things. First, we need a plan with concrete measures to meet or exceed the targets. Second, there must be reliable modelling of the reductions that the plan seeks to achieve. Finally, the implementation of measures must be effective and result in significant reductions from year to year.

Mr. Chair, this concludes my opening remarks. We are happy to answer any questions the committee may have.

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