February 2019
Read the backgrounder (PDF)
CPJ has long advocated for an end to federal subsidies to the fossil fuel sector. In an effort to highlight this grave inconsistency in Canadian energy and climate policy, we made fossil fuel subsidies the focus of our 2018 and 2019 Give it up for the Earth! campaigns.
Canada first pledged to phase out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies in 2009 and reiterated this commitment in the 2015 UN Sustainable Development Goals, the 2015 Liberal election platform, and at the 2016 North American Leaders’ Summit. It is time for the federal government to follow-through on their commitment and end all subsidies to the fossil fuel industry right away. The $1.6 billion saved annually can then be invested in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and skills development, setting Canada on a course for a just transition to clean energy by 2050.
