Canada announced that it planned to impose a cap on pollution in provinces that refuse to adopt a national price on carbon. Last December, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reached a deal with 8 of the 10 provinces to introduce a carbon price to curb emissions of greenhouse gases, and threatened to impose it on holdout provinces. Thursday, the government proposed a tax on fossil fuels that would increase annually. Under Trudeau's plan, carbon pollution would cost $10 a ton in 2018, rising by $10 a year until it reaches $50 in 2022.

As countries around the world begin to implement their nationally determined contributions under the Paris Agreement, there is a demonstrable rift between liberal and conservative governments. As of Friday, Canada’s government, led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and 10 provinces were set to agree on a national price for carbon. The plan allows provinces to implement either a carbon tax or a cap-and-trade market; those provinces not willing to choose will have a carbon tax imposed by the national government.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will have to decide on the $5.4 billion Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion, balancing the demands of Native American groups and the need for growth. Whispering Pines Indian Band is in favor of the expansion, as they will receive economic support from the company following years of negotiations. But located closer to the pipeline’s end is, the Tsleil-Waututh First Nation is against the expansion, contending that it will lead to oil spills on their land and into Canada’s waters.

Resolute Forest Products, a Quebec-based company, filed a lawsuit against Greenpeace and others for Greenpeace's campaign ("Resolute: Forest Destroyer") that criticized Resolute's forestry practices. Resolute's complaint included defamation, tortious interference, trademark, and racketeering claims. Greenpeace criticized Resolute for destroying Canada's Boreal forest and woodland caribou habitat. Resolute is one of the largest producers of newsprint in North America. Greenpeace is not yet commenting because, it stated, it has not officially been served with a lawsuit from Resolute.

On Friday, May 20, aboriginal groups in Canada announced that they have the ability to block Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s proposed oil pipelines because they run through lands where the aboriginal groups have proven title. These comments were in response to Trudeau’s statement that no community can veto the pipelines. Trudeau told Reuters that the government could approve pipeline projects that connect Canadian oil with the market without unanimous consent. But a 2014 Supreme Court decision decided that “consent” from aboriginal tribes is required before major projects can proceed.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau persuaded the country's 10 provinces last Thursday to accept the concept of putting a price on carbon but agreed the specific details could be worked out later. The compromise deal was unveiled at the end of a tough day's talks with the provinces, many of which had signaled their opposition to the idea of Ottawa imposing a single price across the country. Instead, the two sides agreed that mechanisms for pricing carbon would take into account each province's specific circumstances.

A British Columbia court ruled that the Wilderness Committee, an environmental group, did not break the law by criticizing a proposed mine project. In 2012, Taseko Mines sued the Wilderness Committee, stating that the group made defamatory statements about Taseko Mines’ New Prosperity mine project during a public comment period. These claims were dismissed, with the court awarding the Wilderness Committee court costs and additional costs incurred during the lawsuit.

The Canadian province of Alberta announced new regulations designed to meet increased emissions reduction targets and extend its climate change program over the next two years. The Ministry of Environment and Parks intends to increase the province's excess carbon price by 50% and to raise emissions reduction targets to 20% of normal emissions by 2017. The rules, due to expire at the end of June, also extend the climate program through 2017.

The Supreme Court of Yukon recently ruled against the territorial government for its attempt to override a negotiated land use plan for the Peel watershed region. Elections in 2011 gave the Yukon Party a majority government in the territory, which officials viewed as a mandate to revisit the plan negotiated with indigenous leaders. The government's new plan would have protected only 29% of the watershed from mining while the original plan prevented new development in 80% of the region.

At a conference in Berlin on November 20, $9.3 billion in pledges to the U.N. Green Climate Fund from donor nations were announced, bringing the fund closer to the U.N.'s informal target of $10 billion. The fund is intended to help developing nations invest in low emission development strategies and adapt to climate change. Pledges to the fund are seen as important to the achievement of a 2015 climate deal in Paris. Some of the funds included in the announcement were pledges that had been made previously, including $1.5 billion from Japan and $3 billion from the United States.