Senate Ag Committee to weigh in on how to boost competitiveness of value-added food sector
When I was summoned to the Senate just over a year ago, I brought with me many years of experience in the agriculture and rural sectors. I have been fortunate to be able to use that experience to contribute to the work of the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry (AGFO). Our committee has […]
Fight climate change with organic farming and agroecological principles
The ever-growing threat and impacts of climate change are all around us, with many populations in poorer countries already bearing the brunt of shifting global weather patterns and catastrophic weather events. Thinking about solutions for tackling these issues can be daunting and disheartening—it requires a paradigm shift in the way we live and in reflecting […]
Canada must commit to action for caribou, or risk losing them
Here we are well into the new year, but for caribou in Canada, the question is an old one: will it bring any new land-management strategies? Will provinces and territories finally do what it takes to protect the boreal forest, their home? By the federal government’s own accounts, Canada is not doing enough to protect […]
Liberal Party, feds launch campaigns to get Canadians aware of carbon price rebate
The Liberal government is pushing a broad public opinion and awareness campaign to get Canadians in the know about carbon pricing rebates, but one expert says a return at tax time won’t guarantee a bump in popular support for Ottawa’s pricing policy. The federal benchmark carbon pricing system will go into effect on April 1 […]
Plugging their methane leaks is the least oil companies could do on climate
There are no silver-bullets on climate change—but dealing with industrial methane is as close to “easy” as it gets. Or at least, it should be. It’s cheap, it will have a noticeable benefit for health and climate change in the short term, and it will create good jobs in regions where workers are hurting. The […]
Another messy compromise: carbon pricing in Canada
Climate policies differ wildly from one part of the country to another. The federal government aimed to smooth these differences with its Pan-Canadian Framework. Provinces had to meet a standard or have the federal system imposed. In practice, politics won over policy. October 2018 saw the release of long-awaited details on provincial carbon pricing policies, […]
The days of free pollution are over
We live in a time of climate crisis. We’ve known the science for more than a generation, but political leaders over the course of history have nevertheless punted the issue of climate change to the next election cycle, cowed by the enormity of the task. We are aware of the solutions to this existential problem, […]
McKenna says rebates central to getting Canadians to support carbon pricing
Environment Minister Catherine McKenna is pitching to Canadians carbon pricing rebates that she says will do more than just offset what most households will pay as a result of a carbon tax. In an interview with The Hill Times on Feb. 27, Ms. McKenna (Ottawa Centre, Ont.) said the rebate program—called the Climate Action Incentive—will […]
Senate Environment Committee eyeing Fort McMurray, southern Alberta First Nation for stops on cross-country tour for environmental assessment reform bill
The Senate Environment Committee will spend two days in Alberta, and travel to Saskatoon, Winnipeg, and Vancouver in the second week of April as part of its study of the government’s environmental assessment reform bill, C-69, before heading east later that month, according to two members of the committee. After lengthy negotiations on whether and […]
From efficiency to effectiveness: can Canada meet its emission reduction goals through carbon pricing?
OTTAWA—Often lost in the carbon pricing debate is the distinction between efficiency and effectiveness. Most economists agree that putting a price on greenhouse gas emissions is the most efficient way to reduce the pollution driving climate change. Implementing a carbon tax or a cap-and-trade system incentivizes households and businesses to make less-polluting choices at the […]
