Climate Policy Engagement Analysis
Climate Lobbying Overview: Canadian National Railway exhibits limited policy engagement that is partially aligned with policy pathways aiming to deliver the temperature goals of the Paris Agreement in 2023-25. The company has expressed top-line support for climate change regulations and lobbies to promote a modal shift to rail.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: Canadian National Railway (CN) has limited positive top-line messaging on climate policy. The company used the Paris Agreement as a benchmark for its climate reduction targets but did not take a position on the agreement in its 2024 Annual Report, released February 2025.
Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: Canadian National Railway (CN) has limited engagement with climate-related regulations. In a September 2023 consultation response, CN advocated for government intervention to promote a modal shift to rail. The company disclosed support for carbon tax policies at the federal and provincial level in its 2024 CDP Climate Change Questionnaire response. CN’s July 2025 Canadian Federal lobbying disclosure indicates that the company engaged on green transportation initiatives without providing further details.
Positioning on Energy Transition: Canadian National Railway has limited engagement with policies related to the transition of the energy mix. In a September 2024 consultation response the company advocated for increased funding to support the expansion and testing of biofuels, hydrogen and batteries to decarbonize rail. In December 2023, the company signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Canadian federal government, in which companies agreed to promote a modal shift to rail and reduce GHG emissions. The company also promoted a role for biofuels in rail in a June 2025 press release.
Industry Association Governance: Canadian National Railway disclosed a complete list of its industry associations, but does not provide an account of their positions and engagement activities. CN is a member of three industry associations that are negatively engaged with climate policy: the National Association of Manufacturers in the US, the Business Council of Canada, and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.
InfluenceMap collects and assesses evidence of corporate climate policy engagement on a weekly basis, depending on the availability of information from each specific data source (for more information see our methodology). While this analysis flows through to the company’s scores each week, the summary above is updated periodically. This summary was last updated in Q3 2025.