OTTAWA, Ontario — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government is planning to update federal energy efficiency laws and regulations to push Canada’s buildings sector toward net zero.
Energy and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson released the government’s anticipated Green Buildings Strategy in Vancouver on Tuesday, framing it as an affordability measure to help cut down Canadians’ energy bills.
But the federal government has given itself a long runway — “between 2024 and 2026” — to introduce promised amendments to the Energy Efficiency Act. The law governs the regulation of efficiency standards for such energy-using products as air conditioners, heat pumps, water tanks and furnaces.
The delayed reveal teases an election plank the Liberals will run on in the next election, which under law must take place before October 2025. Wilkinson’s nod to affordability issues marks a continued shift in how Liberals are selling their climate measures.
