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Audit: Canada’s Climate Adaptation Strategy Lacks Targets and Progress

Environment Commissioner Jerry DeMarco found two of its three pillars remain unfinished, with federal programs delivering few tangible results since the strategy’s 2023 launch.

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Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development Jerry V. DeMarco holds a news conference at the National Press Theatre in Ottawa on Tuesday.

Overview

  • The 2023 National Adaptation Strategy was criticized for its ineffective design and failure to prioritize Canada’s most serious climate risks.
  • Only one of the strategy’s three key pillars has been finalized, leaving the Indigenous climate leadership agenda and provincial–territorial bilateral action plans incomplete.
  • Despite a $1.6 billion commitment, seven federal programs accounting for $1.1 billion show minimal accountability and unclear contributions to adaptation goals.
  • Key risks such as wildfire smoke health impacts and surging Lyme disease cases were identified during consultations but were omitted from the strategy’s final targets, with no new targets expected until 2030.
  • Environment and Climate Change Canada has yet to establish a process for updating climate risks or ensuring new federal initiatives align with the national strategy’s objectives.