The number of amendments put forward for the government’s greenhouse gas bill created a phonebook-sized pile of paper, with most of the recommendations destined to be left on the cutting room floor.

Bill 172, the Climate Change Mitigation and Low-Carbon Economy Act, was back before the general government committee on Monday for a clause-by-clause review. About “200 or so” amendments to the legislation had been proposed, said Grant Crack, the Liberal MPP chairing the committee.

Behold: the stack of proposed amendments to the government's GHG/cap-and-trade bill. #onpoli pic.twitter.com/7oteunEVla

— Geoff Zochodne (@GeoffZochodne) April 11, 2016

Bill 172 would entrench GHG reduction targets in law (such as a 15-per-cent cut below 1990 levels by the end of 2020), as well as require the government to publish a climate change action plan describing how those goals will be reached. The legislation also contains a framework for the government’s cap-and-trade system.

Most of the amendments to the bill had been proposed by the opposition and were likely to be killed by the Liberal majority on the committee. Some of the other changes involved tidying up language, or other housekeeping matters.

Cap&trade #climate bill Libs won't put #cop21 climate goals in the bill. Surprise to have Paris text rejected.

— Peter Tabuns (@Peter_Tabuns) April 11, 2016

Environment and Climate Change Minister Glen Murray has said he would be open to amendments, and he had even been speaking with NDP energy critic Peter Tabuns about potential changes. One of the amendments tabled by the government was to publish a list of all those receiving free emission allowances under cap-and-trade within two years of them being handed out, along with the amount of complimentary carbon credits each company may receive.

The cap-and-trade system will start next year and cover electricity importers, natural gas distributors, fuel suppliers and facilities with annual GHG emissions topping 25,000 tonnes. The government is expecting to rake in $1.9 billion from selling emission allowances in 2017-18. It also anticipates lowering the emissions cap by a little over 4 per cent ever year, forcing emitters to pay more for fewer carbon credits. The free carbon credits are to help certain industries from being hit too hard by the carbon-pricing plan.

Many of the submissions made on Bill 172 dealt with the money being raised and spent under cap-and-trade. The legislation would establish a Greenhouse Gas Reduction Account that records the amount of carbon credits sold. That money can then be spent on programs to cut, or help cut, GHGs.

Financial Accountability Officer Stephen LeClair previously warned the committee that Bill 172 could block him from providing information about the “fiscal impacts” of the legislation. One NDP motion suggested giving the FAO, an independent officer of the legislature, access to the review and evaluation of initiatives being funded by the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Account.

As of QP Briefing’s Monday deadline, the clause-by-clause consideration of Bill 172 was ongoing. It is likely to take more than one day before it is completed.

To contact the reporter on this story:
gzochodne@qpbriefing.com
416-212-5913
Twitter: @geoffzochodne

Approximately 200 amendments proposed to government’s cap-and-trade bill

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