Carney says he remains committed to green incentives promised during leadership race

Prime Minister Mark Carney said he remains committed to delivering green incentives he pledged during the Liberal leadership race, and officials are working to transfer the Greener Homes Grant from Natural Resources Canada to Environment and Climate Change Canada.

Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters he remains committed to the green incentive measures he proposed during his Liberal leadership campaign, but many of those measures have not yet been relaunched more than a year into his tenure. He said part of the current work is transferring responsibility for programs such as the Greener Homes Grant from Natural Resources Canada to Environment and Climate Change Canada. Some earlier campaign promises on electric vehicle subsidies and charging expansion were implemented this year as part of a new auto strategy. The government has not announced a timeline for refreshed home retrofit incentives. Key points: - Carney pledged during the leadership race to refund the Greener Homes Grant for lower-income households and to explore discounts for low- and medium-income homeowners who make energy-efficient retrofits. - He also promised to strengthen an oil-to-heat pump program that can provide more than $10,000 in some cases to help households switch from oil heating to heat pumps. - More than a year after taking office, those promised retrofit incentives have not been relaunched. - Officials are transferring the Greener Homes Grant from Natural Resources Canada to Environment and Climate Change Canada as part of work to refresh the program. - The Greener Homes Grant, closed since February 2024, had offered up to $5,000 per household; by late January 2024 more than 500,000 Canadians had applied and the program had issued over $700 million in grants. - An Environmental Defence program director, Keith Brooks, reported that a government official told him the program’s popularity increased its cost and made it harder to continue funding without changes. Summary: Carney said delivering the promised incentives remains a priority and that moving the Greener Homes Grant to Environment and Climate Change Canada is part of preparing refreshed programs. Timelines and detailed plans for renewed funding, expanded retrofit discounts and changes to the heat-pump support have not been announced.