According to the report, "The government has not put in place management systems and tools needed to achieve, measure and report on greenhouse gas emission reductions."

The report also slammed Canada's oversight of Alberta oil sands industry pollution. Failing to collect baseline data prior to industrialization of the region - and then failing to conduct regular monitoring of impacts from oil sands mining and processing were both sited.

The Environment Commissioner’s report came out the same day The European Commission announced it had approved including oil sands products in its green house gas emissions from fuels criteria. The EU is completing legislation introduced in 2008, when the EU agreed to reduce the carbon intensity of its transport fuels by six per cent by 2020.

The 2008 fuel quality directive assigns greenhouse gas emissions values to transport fuels. A decision to include oil sands was delayed after Canada said the EU’s standards to promote greener fuels would harm the market for its oil sands.

The Commission will propose that oil sands hold a default greenhouse gas value of 107 grams of carbon per megajoule, making it clear oil sands has a greater climate impact that conventional crude oil, whose value is 87.5 grams.