Your Chamber Working for you
Message from the
Canadian Chamber
BY marY lou haNseN,
presideNt & ceo
As part of the Canadian Chamber’s ongoing commitment
to foster a strong, competitive, and profitable economic
environment that benefits all Canadians, we are launching
our Economic Policy Series. The reports, written by our Chief
Economist, Tina Kremmidas, cover key public policy issues
facing Canada today. We hope the analysis will raise public
understanding and help decision-makers make informed
choices. The reports are designed not to recommend specific
policy solutions, but to stimulate public discussion and debate
about the nation’s challenges.
The first two reports in the Economic Policy Series are now
available on the Canadian Chamber website. www.chamber.
ca. Starting in March, reports in the series will be released
bimonthly.
The following is an excerpt from Report 1: A Carbon Tax
vs Cap-and-Trade:
Introduction
There is general agreement in the international scientific
community that reducing the buildup of greenhouse gas
(GHGs) emissions in the atmosphere is fundamental to
mitigating climate change. As the 2012 expiration date of the
Kyoto Protocol draws near, formal negotiations on a successor
agreement have started under the auspices of the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and its
Kyoto Protocol. Canada is fully committed to advancing the
international effort to address climate change. Total GHG
emissions in Canada increased from 596 million tonnes in 1990
to 747 million tonnes in 2005 (the last year for which figures
are available) – a 25.3 percent increase. Carbon dioxide (CO2)
is by far the most common GHG emitted (accounting for 78
percent of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada), followed by
methane (15 percent) and nitrous oxide (six percent). In 2005,
Canada’s carbon intensity – the amount of CO2 emitted per
unit of economic output (GDP) – was among the highest in
the OECD (see Figure 1). Canada is also among the top ten
OECD countries in terms of per capita emissions of CO2 (see
Figure 2).
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