Editing One-Tonne Challenge (section)

{{Short description|Canadian government challenge against climate change}}
[[Image:One tonne challenge.jpg|thumb|200px|One Tonne Challenge Logo]]
'''The One-Tonne Challenge''' was a challenge presented by the [[Politics of Canada|Government of Canada]] in March 2004 for [[Canadians|Canadian]]s to reduce their [[greenhouse gas emissions]] by one [[tonne]] each year. The figure represented 20% of total greenhouse gas output by Canadians at the time and aimed to help the country reach its [[Kyoto Protocol]] emission reduction targets. The Liberal Government under [[Jean Chrétien]] and [[Paul Martin]] approved over $45 million to fund the program from 2003 to 2006.<ref>[http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2013/ec/En4-216-2006-eng.pdf Evaluation of the One-Tonne Challenge Program]</ref>

To promote this program, the government placed [[television]] and [[Printing|print]] [[advertisement|ads]] featuring comedian [[Rick Mercer]]. In one commercial, he described Canadians as wanting to take the challenge. "C’mon... we’re Canadian... we’re up for a challenge!"

[[Image:One tonne challenge giveaways.jpg|thumb|A magnet with a temperature indictator given to high school students as promotional giveaways.]]

The government urged Canadians to do such things as:

* take [[public transit]] more often
* idle vehicles less
* use programmable [[thermostat]]s
* seal windows with caulking and weather-stripping
* [[Home composting|compost]] organic kitchen waste
* support green energy
* water and energy conservation
* purchase electronics that are labelled with [[Energy Star]] logo
* [[recycling]]

The program received a lukewarm reception from the public, and has been criticized as ineffective and wasteful.{{Citation needed|date=October 2015}}

This program was started by the [[Liberal Party of Canada]]. However, with the election of [[Stephen Harper]]'s Conservative Government in 2006, the One Tonne Challenge was scrapped.