Trudeau’s biggest challenge over next several years will be to cut GHGs
TORONTO—There’s probably no more difficult challenge facing the Trudeau government over the next several years than delivering on the country’s pledge to cut our greenhouse gas emissions—the promise made by the Trudeau government at the Paris Summit on climate change in December 2015. Canada’s story, since signing the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, has been one […]
The full interview: Perry Bellegarde on running again, ‘closing the gap,’ and more
It’s been a busy three years for Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde. Since he was elected as national representative for the influential association of chiefs in 2014, the Liberals have swept to power in Ottawa, promising a reset in the relationship between Indigenous communities and the federal government, and increased financial support […]
Coral reefs and geo-engineering
Whenever I get the chance, I go diving. The whole family are divers, right down to the grand-children: it’s one of the pretexts we use to get together. And we all know the coral reefs are dying. There are still healthy reefs, and even after they have been bleached they can recover—but only until the […]
Kicking the tires on climate-change policy
Say you need a new car, so you head to the closest dealership. The salesperson shows you a car with a price that makes your jaw drop—$350,000. Sensing your apprehension, the salesperson shows you the dealership’s cheapest model at only $200,000. You’re not a multi-millionaire, but you live far from your work, with no alternative […]
It’s showtime: Morneau’s economic advisory council calls for $15-billion skills development initiative, tax cuts, policy changes
TORONTO—Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s Advisory Council on Economic Growth has issued its third and final report. Chaired by Dominic Barton, global managing director of the consultancy McKinsey & Company, the 14-member council was appointed early last year and held its first meeting in May 2016. It has been busy since then, producing three sets of […]
It’s high time to upgrade the Fisheries Act
If once upon a time the belief that fisheries were an endless natural resource was common, it is now abundantly clear that it is not. Fisheries are declining fast around the globe, and Canada is not exempt from this. For example, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC), an independent advisory […]
‘It’s the question of whether we want to continue in the status quo’: stakeholders worry environmental assessment process could lead to cut corners
Industry associations and environmental groups are mostly backing the increased government collaboration recommended as part of a new environmental assessment process, though some worry that cutting out the individual steps could lead to cutting corners. Currently industry must often do separate assessments for federal, provincial or territorial, and aboriginal governments when looking to have a […]
Active transportation needs a federal champion
TORONTO—Canada needs a federal champion for active modes of transportation such as cycling and walking. At present, no federal minister has been assigned responsibility for supporting active transportation in this country. Mandate letters, used to set priorities for federal ministers, make no mention of active transportation. This is a problem for so many reasons. Active […]
Canada must redirect public financing away from fossil fuels
On Dec. 12, French President Emmanuel Macron will be hosting a climate change summit in Paris. The summit will focus on redirecting financing away from fossil fuels and towards climate solutions such as clean, renewable energy and green infrastructure. This will be an important opportunity for the Canadian government to make progress on two challenges: […]
Plenty of challenges for Ottawa to sort through with carbon pricing in 2018, say critics and observers
While the Trudeau government is refusing to back down from its plan mandating provinces and territories impose a carbon levy in 2018, it must still contend with competing concerns over regional pushback, rising American competition, and ever-present political optics, say critics and observers. Most notably, the Saskatchewan and Manitoba governments and Alberta’s popular United Conservative […]
