TORONTO, Ont. — Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions remained steady in 2010 while the economy grew, according to Canada’s Environment Minister Peter Kent.

Kent said there is good progress being made towards the Conservative government’s  sector-by-sector approach to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 17%  below 2005 levels by 2020.

Ottawa  simultaneously released the National Inventory Report, the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program facility-level data and related overview report, and the greenhouse gas indicators of the Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators program. In summary, the reports indicate that:

• between 2009 and 2010, our emissions remained steady despite economic growth of 3.2 per cent;
• since 2005, annual greenhouse gas emissions have dropped by 48 megatonnes;
• emissions have declined in almost all sectors, including oil and gas, and electricity generation, since 2005,
• per capita emissions remain at an historic low of 20.3 tonnes of carbon dioxide
• equivalent per person, their lowest level since tracking began in 1990; and,
• while emissions have grown 17.5 per cent since 1990, our economy has grown 60.5 per cent.

Canada has signed on to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and as a result must submit a report each year on its greenhouse gases.

Last year the Conservative government report was criticized for leaving out data showing a rise in greenhouse-gas emissions from the oilsands. The previous year’s inventory included a breakdown of oilsands emissions.