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ENVI Committee Meeting

Notices of Meeting include information about the subject matter to be examined by the committee and date, time and place of the meeting, as well as a list of any witnesses scheduled to appear. The Evidence is the edited and revised transcript of what is said before a committee. The Minutes of Proceedings are the official record of the business conducted by the committee at a sitting.

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Minutes of Proceedings

44th Parliament, 1st Session
Meeting 111
Tuesday, June 4, 2024, 3:30 p.m. to 6:54 p.m.
Televised
Presiding
Francis Scarpaleggia, Chair (Liberal)

Library of Parliament
• Alison Clegg, Analyst
• Natacha Kramski, Analyst
• Sarah Yakobowski, Analyst
Government of British Columbia
• Fin Donnelly, Parliamentary Secretary, Fisheries and Aquaculture
• James Mack, Assistant Deputy Minister
Government of Prince Edward Island
• Sean Ledgerwood, Acting Manager, Water and Air Monitoring, Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Action
Government of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador
• Haseen Khan, Director, Water Resources Management Division, Department of Environment and Climate Change
Water Security Agency
• Shawn Jaques, President and Chief Executive Officer
• David Cooper, Vice-President, Agriculture Services and Economic Development
Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2) and the motion adopted by the committee on Tuesday, April 26, 2022, the committee resumed its study of freshwater.

Fin Donnelly and Shawn Jaques made statements and, with James Mack and David Cooper, answered questions.

At 4:35 p.m., the meeting was suspended.

At 4:37 p.m., the meeting resumed.

Sean Ledgerwood and Haseen Khan made statements and answered questions.

At 5:38 p.m., the meeting was suspended.

At 5:45 p.m., the meeting resumed.

Pursuant to Standing Order 106(4), the committee commenced consideration of the request by members of the committee to discuss the Net Zero Accelerator Fund.

Motion

Dan Mazier moved, — Given that the government has failed to provide the committee with the following documents and information relating to their 8-billion-dollar Net Zero Accelerator fund:

  • all complete contributions agreements signed, to date, for the Net Zero Accelerator;
  • the government’s complete tracker tool used to measure the Net Zero Accelerator’s progress and results; and
  • all internal Net Zero Accelerator targets set by the government, including the government’s Net Zero Accelerator emission reduction target.

The committee invite Simon Kennedy, Deputy Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, Jean-François Tremblay, Deputy Minister of Environment and Climate Change, and Jerry V. DeMarco, Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development to appear before the committee on Tuesday, June 11, 2024 at 5:30 p.m. EST for no less than two hours; the committee invite members of the Greenhouse Gas Interdepartmental Working Group and members of the Strategic Innovation Fund’s Investment Review Committee to be present for technical questions as needed; the committee order the production of all (i) complete and unredacted signed contributions agreements and (ii) fully unredacted term sheets, to date, for the Net Zero Accelerator; and the committee order the government’s fully unredacted and unrestricted tracker tool used to measure the Net Zero Accelerator’s progress and results.

Debate arose thereon.

Amendment

Lori Idlout moved, — That the motion be amended by adding after the words “no less than two hours” the following: “one of which would be in camera”.

At 6:07 p.m., the meeting was suspended.

At 6:36 p.m., the meeting resumed.

By unanimous consent, the amendment was withdrawn.

Amendment

Branden Leslie moved, — That the motion be amended by:

  1. adding after the words “for no less than two hours” the following: “with one hour in public followed by one hour in camera”;
  2. adding after the words “the Net Zero Accelerator” the following: “to be viewed by the committee and their staff, as long as required by members of the committee, at least three days in advance of the meeting on Tuesday, June 11, 2024”; and
  3. adding after the words “Net Zero Accelerator’s progress and results” the following: “to be viewed by the committee and their staff, as long as required by members of the committee, at least three days in advance of the meeting on Tuesday, June 11, 2024; and government provide public versions (i.e. redacted) of all documents ordered by the committee in advance in order to understand what the government is deeming commercially sensitive and protected.”.

Debate arose thereon.

On motion of Adam van Koeverden, it was agreed, — That the amendment be amended by adding after the words “their staff” the words “in camera” and after the words “and staff” the words “in camera”.

The debate on the amendment of Branden Leslie continued.

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Branden Leslie and it was agreed to.

The motion, as amended, read as follows:

Given that the government has failed to provide the committee with the following documents and information relating to their 8-billion-dollar Net Zero Accelerator fund:

  • all complete contributions agreements signed, to date, for the Net Zero Accelerator;
  • the government’s complete tracker tool used to measure the Net Zero Accelerator’s progress and results; and
  • all internal Net Zero Accelerator targets set by the government, including the government’s Net Zero Accelerator emission reduction target.

The committee invite Simon Kennedy, Deputy Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, Jean-François Tremblay, Deputy Minister of Environment and Climate Change, and Jerry V. DeMarco, Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development to appear before the committee on Tuesday, June 11, 2024 at 5:30 p.m. for no less than two hours with one hour in public followed by one hour in camera; the committee invite members of the Greenhouse Gas Interdepartmental Working Group and members of the Strategic Innovation Fund’s Investment Review Committee to be present for technical questions as needed; the committee order the production of all (i) complete and unredacted signed contributions agreements and (ii) fully unredacted term sheets, to date, for the Net Zero Accelerator to be viewed by the committee and their staff in camera, as long as required by members of the committee, at least three days in advance of the meeting on Tuesday, June 11, 2024; and the committee order the government’s fully unredacted and unrestricted tracker tool used to measure the Net Zero Accelerator’s progress and results to be viewed by the committee and their staff in camera, as long as required by members of the committee, at least three days in advance of the meeting on Tuesday, June 11, 2024; and government provide public versions (i.e. redacted) of all documents ordered by the committee in advance in order to understand what the government is deeming commercially sensitive and protected.

At 6:54 p.m., the committee adjourned to the call of the Chair.



Natalie Jeanneault
Clerk of the committee