Ottawa | Traditional, Unceded Territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg People | September 16, 2024 — After a long summer of wildfires, floods and record heat, family doctors, nurses, surgeons and other healthcare professionals from across Canada are urging Prime Minister Trudeau and the federal government, in a letter sent last week, to move quickly on implementing its long-delayed cap on oil and gas pollution. This would protect the health of people across Canada from worsening air quality and prevent further catastrophic climate-induced extreme weather events.

“Doctors and nurses across the country are seeing firsthand the impacts of climate change with rising cases of asthma, heart disease, mental health issues, and premature death,” said Dr. Melissa Lem, Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) President and family physician. “To protect the health of people across Canada and beyond, we need to sharply reduce emissions, and a fair and strong emissions cap is the best way to do that.”

Emissions from the oil and gas sector represent more than 30 per cent of Canada’s total emissions – and they continue to rise. Yet according to a recent CAPE analysis, limiting oil and gas sector emissions in line with Canada’s economy-wide target — 45 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030 — would avoid premature deaths of approximately 4,860 people and deliver an economic benefit of  $45 billion over the course of a decade. The reduction in dangerous air pollutants — including nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter, annual ozone and summer ozone — would also help avoid non-fatal health outcomes including respiratory conditions such as asthma, cardiac disease, neurological disorders including dementia, and reproductive issues such as low birth weight.

“Canada’s emissions problem is an air pollution problem, and worsening air pollution undermines all of our health,” said Dr. Joe Vipond, CAPE Past President and emergency physician. “The fact is, while other sectors are working hard to reduce their emissions, oil and gas companies are increasing their pollution. We are urging Prime Minister Trudeau to move quickly to enforce a strong and effective emissions cap.”

CAPE argues that existing policy instruments like industrial carbon pricing aren’t reducing emissions fast enough, given the lack of substantial reductions to date, and there is therefore a clear need for additional regulation targeting the oil and gas sector. The federal government has repeatedly said it will announce draft regulations in the fall, but healthcare professionals stress the regulations are urgent given the escalating health impacts associated with oil and gas-related air pollution and climate change.

The signatories are calling for:

• Draft regulations to be released as soon as possible in September 2024, with the final cap enforced by 2025 to avoid further delays.
• A cap that aims for a 45% reduction below 2005 levels by 2030, aligning with Canada’s overall emissions reduction targets. Current proposals are insufficient.
• A cap that does not allow industries to bypass actual emissions reductions through payment options or offset credits. Effective implementation requires eliminating loopholes and strict rules.

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Open letter from health care professionals to Prime Minister Trudeau

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:

Wanjiru Munene, Climate Communications Manager, Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE), 647-762-9168, media@cape.ca