Is Canada’s Climate Action Just Smoke and Mirrors?

This post is part of Connecting Environmental Professionals Toronto's ongoing effort to spark conversation around sustainability and climate action. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of CEP Toronto.

As G7 leaders met in Kananaskis, Canadians were holding their breath. Not just from anticipation, but from wildfire smoke again. Climate change is close enough to smell, yet the G7 tiptoed around it, adapting to resistance from the United States.

The new Kananaskis Wildfire Charter does deserve recognition, though. It calls for a “whole-of-society” approach, grounded in science and Indigenous knowledge, nature-based solutions, and restoration. Meanwhile, the statement on artificial intelligence and clean energy innovation glossed over climate implications. AI was even touted as a climate solution, but didn’t address the environmental cost of energy-intensive models and data infrastructure. And the G7 had little to say about deforestation or urban sprawl, even with live proof of worsening fire seasons. 

If the root causes of the wildfires that inspired this charter are ignored, climate disasters will only become more common. 

So it’s worth asking: is our commitment to climate action real, or just smoke and mirrors? Because right now, the question isn’t what disaster will strike next. Or even when. It’s how we will respond. And one of the most effective responses we have is being overlooked.

Biodiversity – the result of 4.5 billion years of evolution – is the foundation of our health, economy, and stability. More than half of global GDP is dependent on our ecosystems, while land and the ocean absorb more than half of all carbon emissions. 

From the Don Valley to High Park, Toronto is home to rich living landscapes that were stewarded by Indigenous Peoples for generations. Today, those green and blue corridors are shrinking. In Ontario, native species, like milkweed and big bluestem, that stabilize soil, filter water, and support pollinators are disappearing, replaced by pavement or invasive species. 

Threatening to worsen things are two recent provincial bills that were disturbingly fast-tracked through the legislature despite significant opposition.

Bill 5, the “Protect Ontario by Building Faster and Smarter Act”, neuters the “Endangered Species Act”, placing species at greater risk by narrowing habitat definitions to exclude the broader land and water they depend on. Some species are excluded entirely. Developers will also no longer need approval from local decision makers to begin construction in ecologically sensitive areas. 

Bill 17, the “Protect Ontario by Unleashing the Economy Act”, targets the Green Building Standards that ensure new homes are energy-efficient and climate-resilient. Ironically, these standards haven’t been a barrier to housing development, but could result in higher utility costs, increased flood risks, and poorer indoor air quality.

These bills are proposed as a pro-Canadian response to trade tensions with the United States, the same country hindering global climate ambition. So why are we following their lead and buying into the false dichotomy between economy and environment, between our present and our future? 

Federal climate leadership rings hollow if provinces gut the very systems that protect us in the service of short-term deregulation. We’ll pay a much higher price in public health, infrastructure damage, and climate emergencies, leaving us more vulnerable than ever to external shocks, including the very trade pressures these bills claim to address.

Restoring biodiversity is our strongest natural defence against climate change. Nearly a third of the greenhouse gas emissions reductions needed this decade could be achieved simply by improving nature’s carbon-absorbing capacity.

Community groups, Indigenous Nations, and nonprofits are already leading important conservation work. Groups like Ontario Nature, Great Lakes Trust, and Indigenous Land Stewardship Circle are restoring wetlands, replanting native species, and fighting to protect ecologically sensitive areas. These efforts are evidence-based and essential.

This is what real climate leadership looks like. But they can’t do it alone. Our leaders must support these efforts with political will and funding, not undercut them with legislation that prioritizes sprawl over sustainability under the guise of efficiency.

Because when the smoke rolls in again – and it will – we’ll need more than co-signed statements. We’ll need healthy environments and empowered communities ready to protect the living systems that make our cities livable. In a world where major powers may hesitate or thwart progress, Canada must lead, not just with international declarations but by ensuring climate action isn’t dismantled at home. 

If you want to dive deeper into community-led restoration and what Toronto can do next, join CEP Toronto’s upcoming panel discussion on July 3.

Charanya Thiyanavadivel is the Associate Director of Marketing & Communications at Connecting Environmental Professionals Toronto.