2025 Reports of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development to the Parliament of Canada on behalf of the Auditor General of Canada – Opening Statement to the News Conference

Good afternoon, and thank you for joining me. I’m Jerry DeMarco, Canada’s Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development. I want to begin by acknowledging that we are on the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe people.

This morning, on behalf of the Auditor General of Canada, I presented to Parliament our annual report on environmental petitions and 5 performance audits that cover a range of environmental and sustainable development issues. The federal government has made commitments to improve its stewardship of the environment and help those Canadians who are most in need. These audits examine Canada’s progress in meeting those important commitments.

Climate change, for example, is an area in which the federal government has made numerous commitments to address the increasing adverse effects on Canadians, communities, and the natural environment. The first audit I am presenting today is our third report under the Canadian Net‑Zero Emissions Accountability Act. The audit examined the government’s progress in implementing 9 financial measures to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The stakes are high since these measures were projected to result in federal investments exceeding $100 billion.

We found that none of the measures was effectively implemented. Overall, the measures in place were not enough to support the government in meeting its 2030 target to reduce emissions by at least 40% from 2005 levels.

According to data for 2023, the most recent available, emissions in Canada have decreased by only 8.5% since 2005. The federal government will need to strengthen or add measures to meet its 2030 target of at least a 40% drop in greenhouse gas emissions and do its part in the global effort to fight climate change.

Next, let’s turn to our report on federal efforts to reduce poverty under the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy. We assessed progress made by 5 organizations in implementing the target of reducing the poverty rate in Canada by 50% from its 2015 level by 2030.

We found that most of the actions taken by 4 of the departments—the Canada Revenue Agency, the Department of Finance Canada, Employment and Social Development Canada, and Indigenous Services Canada—either had not achieved their expected results, or the organizations were unable to assess their progress. The exception was Statistics Canada, which we found had achieved its expected results in contributing to the poverty reduction goal.

From 2015 to 2020, Canada’s poverty rate decreased from 14.5% to 6.4%. However, I am concerned that the poverty rate then rose to 10.2% by 2023. This means that about 4 million Canadians are living below the poverty line, which is greater than the population of any city in Canada.

If the federal government is to meet its commitment to reduce poverty by 50% from its 2015 level, it will need to reverse the upward trend in poverty that has taken place since 2020.

Now, I would like to turn to 3 related audits that assess Canada’s progress in protecting and conserving ecologically significant lands and waters. The establishment of new protected and conserved areas is essential in addressing both the biodiversity and climate crises.

In addition, at a time when the federal government is seeking to expedite approvals for major projects of national importance, providing certainty about which areas are protected and conserved will support informed decision making.

The 3 related audits on protected and conserved areas cover terrestrial areas and inland waters, marine and coastal areas, and cooperative management with Indigenous partners.

In the first of these 3 audits, we concluded that Environment and Climate Change Canada and Parks Canada were not on track to meet the 2025 target of establishing protected and conserved areas covering 25% of land and inland water. As of March 2025, we found that only 13.8% was protected and conserved.

We also concluded that the organizations’ plans were not sufficient to achieve the 2030 target of conserving 30% of these areas to ensure ecological representation, connectivity, and support for biodiversity and ecosystem functions. We found that the 2 organizations did not consistently consider or track progress on these qualitative elements, which would help them prioritize areas for protection.

In responding to the biodiversity crisis, the federal government needs to accelerate efforts to establish a strong, national network of protected and conserved areas. Meeting the 2030 target will require the federal government to work cooperatively with provincial, territorial, Indigenous, and other partners.

In our audit on marine and coastal areas, we found that Environment and Climate Change Canada, Parks Canada, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada were not on track to meet the 2025 target of protecting and conserving 25% of these areas. As of March of this year, only 15.5% had been protected and conserved.

As well, the 3 organizations had not developed a plan to meet the 2030 target of establishing a network to cover 30% of marine and coastal areas, including zones important to biodiversity and the healthy functioning of ecosystems. Although the audit found that the 3 organizations had completed some important steps, such as identifying candidate areas, they had not updated their collaborative framework to achieve the quantitative and qualitative targets.

We also found that the 3 organizations had not developed clear guidance to implement the federal marine protection standard, which is intended to prohibit harmful activities such as oil and gas exploration and bottom trawling in protected and conserved areas.

Urgent action is needed to sustain the health of marine and coastal areas, which play a critical role in addressing the biodiversity and climate crises. The federal government can still complete a network that protects and conserves 30% of marine and coastal areas, even if it misses the 2025 target.

On a positive note, our third protected areas audit concluded that Environment and Climate Change Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and Parks Canada had worked with Indigenous partners to implement cooperative management models, in a manner consistent with reconciliation.

We found that the 3 federal organizations supported long-term objectives on cooperatively managed protected areas by providing annual funding and other resources, such as training, to Indigenous partners. The 3 federal organizations also worked together in meaningful ways to weave Indigenous Knowledge, values, and priorities into the management of protected areas.

The audit highlighted risks that could hinder the ability of the 3 organizations to further strengthen relationships with Indigenous partners. For instance, current funding allocations are unlikely to meet the longer-term needs of the programs and policies that support cooperative management processes.

To achieve its goal of building a resilient network of protected and conserved areas that covers 30% of Canada by 2030, the federal government will need to continue prioritizing cooperative management models. Advancing federal‑Indigenous cooperation supports reconciliation, protects biodiversity, and fosters sustainable economies.

Moving forward, the positive lessons learned from the cooperative management of protected areas can be applied to other aspects of the climate change and biodiversity crises, as well as other challenges, such as alleviating poverty. Federal organizations are well positioned to further collaboration with all levels of government and segments of society to improve environmental and sustainable development outcomes for present and future generations.

All 5 of the performance audit reports we are presenting today centre on deadlines set for 2030. Time is running short, and the government’s focus needs to shift from commitments to results.

Thank you. I am now ready to answer your questions.

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