Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development

Comité permanent de l'environnement et du développement durable

For immediate release

Ottawa, April 09, 2019 -

The Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development today tabled a report on how Canada can be an international leader on climate policy.

The report, entitled Clean Growth and Climate Change: How Canada can Lead Internationally, contains 18 recommendations for the federal government, including pushing for greater global ambition on greenhouse gas reductions; working towards making climate policy a non-partisan issue; and spurring low carbon innovation through the policy certainty of a carbon price signal.

"Canada is now seen as a leader for its progress on reducing greenhouse gas emissions at the lowest possible cost to Canadians – through carbon pricing," said John Aldag, Committee Chair.

"Given the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's recent Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C, it is clear that all countries need to push for greater ambition on greenhouse gas reductions," said Mr. Aldag. "The shift to a low carbon economy must be accelerated. This report recommends concrete ways that Canada can build on its actions to date and go further towards becoming a leader in tackling climate change."

Committee recommendations also include a rebalancing of Canada's international climate finance funding to ensure that adaptation projects receive a full 50% of climate finance, and the development of a national regime on the international transfer of emissions credits for Canada.

"With a power grid based heavily on renewable energy, a price signal to spur low-carbon innovation, a vibrant clean-tech industry, and tremendous natural capital, Canada has numerous advantages in a global shift to a low carbon economy," added the Chair.

The Committee recommendations found in this report would accelerate the urgent shift to a low-carbon economy and would contribute to Canada’s achievement of its emissions reduction objectives and its international commitments.

The House of Commons Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development for this study consists of 11 MPs. It is chaired by John Aldag (Cloverdale – Langley City). The vice chairs are the Honourable Ed Fast (Abbotsford) and Wayne Stetski (Kootenay – Columbia). The other members are William Amos (Pontiac), Mike Bossio (Hastings – Lennox and Addington), Julie Dzerowicz (Davenport), Darren Fisher (Dartmouth – Cole Harbour), Sean Fraser (Central Nova), Joël Godin (Portneuf – Jacques-Cartier), Joe Peschisolido (Steveston – Richmond East), and Mark Warawa (Langley – Aldergrove).