The Canada-Alberta MOU Implementation Agreement is signed. Now what?

With the signing on May 15, 2026 of the Implementation Agreement for last year’s Canada-Alberta MOU, carbon market rules for industrial emitters have been rewritten. The agreement on carbon pricing, part of a larger energy and competitiveness plan, will transform the Alberta TIER market, with ripple effects that extend far beyond provincial borders.

Download the comprehensive 60-minute session recorded May 27, as our panel analyzed the agreement and what it means for the future of Canadian carbon policy.

What we covered

• Market View: Analysis of how the agreement aims to establish “carbon markets that work,” and address the credit overhang in the Alberta TIER program and promote “a credible, scalable national carbon credit market” with design features such as a headline carbon price reaching CAD 130 in 2035, a price floor starting in 2030 and an effective carbon price of CAD 130 in 2040.
• Regulatory State-of-Play: Navigating the revised tightening stringency rates and compliance pathways for heavy emitters, plus the Direct Investment Program and Carbon Contracts for Difference (CfD).
• The Federal Question: How this deal will translate through to other provinces as Canada will ensure the updated federal carbon pricing benchmark is consistent with the agreement.
  

Why This Is Important:

The MOU implementation will dramatically change the current Canadian carbon market landscape, shaping carbon pricing for many years to come, with implications for industrial emitters, project developers, investors and other market stakeholders. The effects will be felt beyond Alberta’s borders.

Speakers: