Canada has set at least eight different emissions targets since 1988, and has failed to meet any of them to date. Its next target in 2030 hinges heavily on being able to ratchet down emissions from the oil and gas sector.

That 2030 target currently is to cut emissions so they are between 55 and 60 per cent of what they were in 2005. Based on emissions levels in 2020, meeting the 2030 goal would mean cutting about 23 million tonnes of emissions a year, on average. That’s the equivalent of taking five million passenger cars off the road every 12 months until the end of the decade.