What to know
- Ottawa says it has committed more than $2.1 billion to its National Adaptation Strategy since it launched in 2023.
- The federal government says it has made “meaningful advancements” in areas including disaster resilience, health, infrastructure, nature and biodiversity.
- The Canadian Climate Institute says the report focuses too heavily on programs and initiatives rather than evidence that climate risks are actually being reduced.
- Up to 1.5 million Canadian households remain at risk of flooding, according to the CCI’s Ryan Ness.
- Ness is calling for clearer targets, timelines, investment and accountability to ensure the strategy leads to measurable reductions in climate risk.
Ottawa says Canada is making meaningful progress preparing for the growing impacts of climate change, but one of the country’s leading climate policy research organizations says the government’s own report shows there is still a long way to go.
The federal government released its latest progress report on the National Adaptation Strategy this week, outlining billions of dollars in commitments and dozens of initiatives aimed at making communities more resilient to floods, wildfires, extreme heat and other climate-related threats.
But the Canadian Climate Institute (CCI) says there’s a fundamental problem with how that progress is being measured: Ottawa is largely counting what governments are doing rather than whether those actions are actually reducing Canadians’ exposure to climate risk.
Ottawa says it has made ‘meaningful advancements’
According to the government, Ottawa has already committed over $2.1 billion to the strategy, in addition to other climate-related measures outlined in Budget 2025.
Since then, the government reported it has made “meaningful advancements” towards goals outlined in the plan, including disaster resilience, nature and biodiversity, health and well-being, infrastructure and economy.
The government said it has made significant progress in advancing research about future climate scenarios and in informing communities about climate risks through initiatives like the Canadian Centre for Climate Services (CCCS), Canada in a Changing Climate: National Assessment Process, and Indigenous-led 2024 For Our Future: Indigenous Resilience Report.
In addition, the progress report outlines the government has introduced resources and tools residents can access to learn about climate change and take action, including ClimateData.ca and ClimateInsight.ca. The government also reports demand for these services also appeared to have grown, with the CCCS reaching more than 20,000 monthly visitors and 3,000 data downloads.
Moreover, since the implementation of the strategy, the report outlines the government has expanded and strengthened climate adaptation projects in collaboration with other levels of government and Canadian institutions.
But are Canadians actually safer?
Despite the reported progress, climate change policy research organization Canadian Climate Institute (CCI) suggests the newly-released report offers little evidence that the federal government has meaningfully reduced climate risks to protect Canadians from extreme weather.
Ryan Ness, Director of Adaptation at the CCI, said the progress report shows that Canada is actually falling behind on climate adaptation.
Ness pointed to flooding as one area where significant exposure remains, saying as many as 1.5 million Canadian households remain at high risk.
The strategy had also targeted having 50 per cent of Canadians take concrete actions to better prepare for climate change by 2025. Ness said the report indicates only about one-third have done so.
“The Progress Report highlights important forward movement, including a wide range of federal programs, tools, funding, and co-ordination efforts underway across the country. What’s missing is clear evidence that these initiatives are reducing climate risk in a meaningful way at a national level,” Ness said in a statement shared with Now Toronto.
“By tracking programs rather than results, the progress report paints an overly-optimistic picture of success…Where the report does indicate progress, significant gaps still remain.”
While the government claims more resources are available for Canadians to understand climate risks along with resources to take action, Ness points out many still lack clear information.
Moreover, the expert said the federal government’s commitment to work with institutions and other levels of government is falling short, having “only resulted in discussions with a handful of jurisdictions thus far.”
Although the expert acknowledges that the National Adaptation Strategy could be an important foundation towards progress, evidence suggests it might not have been enough to drive meaningful change.
Instead, Ness said the strategy can still provide the foundation for Canada’s adaptation efforts, but argues its next phase needs to move beyond cataloguing government initiatives toward measurable outcomes.
“What’s required now is a focused set of concrete measures, targeted at the highest climate risks and backed by investment, clear timelines, and accountability to deliver real reduction in risk,” he said.
“Anything less continues to leave Canadians exposed to a climate threat that is growing much faster than our defences.”
