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Ministerial mandate letters point to greener Canadian economic priorities

14th November 2015

By: Henry Lazenby

Creamer Media Deputy Editor: North America

  

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TORONTO (miningweekly.com) – Canadian Prime Minister (PM) Justin Trudeau on Friday took the unprecedented step of publicly releasing all ministerial mandate letters, as part of his plan for open and transparent government for Canadians, giving citizens a first glimpse of the new Liberal administration's policy priorities.

“Real, positive change means new leadership and transparent government for Canadians. Our Ministers are being encouraged in their mandate letters to consult closely as a team, to listen and to carefully consider the expert advice of public servants. I am confident such measures will lead to better decision-making and results for Canadians,” he stated.

The ministerial mandate letters highlighted the government’s commitment to invest in jobs and growth for the middle class and those working hard to join it. They outlined the government’s progressive vision and provided a framework for what ministers were expected to accomplish, including specific policy objectives and challenges to be addressed.

This initiative by the PM set a historic precedent for openness and transparency at the federal level.

NATURAL RESOURCES
New Natural Resources Minister James Carr’s overarching goal would be to ensure the Canadian resources sector remained a source of jobs, prosperity and opportunity within the context of a world that increasingly valued sustainable practices and low-carbon processes. This required continued investment and support for innovation in the natural resource sectors, the mandate letter stated.

Trudeau noted that, throughout Canada’s history, its prosperity had been built on natural resources. It was a core responsibility of the federal government to help get its natural resources to market, but that was only possible if government achieved the required public trust by addressing environmental, indigenous peoples’ and local concerns, the PM advised.

In particular, Trudeau expected Carr to deliver on his portfolio’s top priorities, which had a distinct pro-environment ring to it.

These included to work closely with provinces and territories to develop a Canadian energy strategy to protect Canada’s energy security, encourage energy conservation and bring cleaner, renewable energy onto a smarter electricity grid.

Carr would also be required to work with the Innovation, Science and Economic Development Minister Navdeep Singh Bains to invest in clean technology producers, so that they could tackle Canada’s most pressing environmental challenges and create more opportunities for Canadian workers, as well as to support innovation and the use of clean technologies in the natural resource sectors, including the forestry, fisheries, mining, energy and agricultural sectors.

Trudeau also instructed Carr to work with the Finance Minister Bill Morneau to explore opportunities to enhance existing tax measures to generate more clean technology investments and engage with provinces and territories to make Canada the world’s most competitive tax jurisdiction for investments in the research, development and manufacturing of clean technology.

One of the top priorities from the Liberal election platform assurances was to immediately review Canada’s environmental-assessment processes, in order to regain public trust and introduce new, fair processes.

To this end, Carr would be required to join forces with Environment and Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna, Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard Minister Hunter Tootoo and Indigenous and Northern Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett to restore robust oversight and thorough environmental assessments of areas under federal jurisdiction, while also working with provinces and territories to avoid duplication; ensure that decisions were based on science, facts and evidence, and serve the public’s interest; provide ways for increased public and expert participation, including provisions to enhance the engagement of indigenous groups in reviewing and monitoring significant resource development projects; and require project proponents to choose the best technologies available to reduce environmental impacts.

The Trudeau government also intended to modernise the National Energy Board to ensure its composition reflected regional views and had enough expertise in fields such as environmental science, community development and Indigenous traditional knowledge.

The new administration also charged Carr to work in partnership with the US and Mexico, as well as McKenna and Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion to develop an “ambitious” North American clean energy and environmental agreement.

Meanwhile, Trudeau had called for a moratorium on crude oil tanker traffic for British Columbia's north coast, outlining the directive in a mandate letter to Canada's Transport Minister Marc Garneau. The PM had asked Garneau to formalise the agreement with the ministries of Fisheries, Natural Resources and Environment, dealing a potential death-blow to the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline, which would carry bitumen from Alberta to the Pacific ocean at Kitimat. The project was approved in June 2014, with 209 conditions.

McKenna would also be called on immediately to support the PM at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change's twenty-first Conference of the Parties, in Paris, in December.

Her overarching goal would be to take the lead in implementing the government’s plan for a clean environment and a sustainable economy. "Your key priority will be to ensure that our government provides national leadership to reduce emissions, combat climate change and price carbon.  I expect you to help restore Canada’s reputation for environmental stewardship," Trudeau stated.

These priorities drew heavily from the Liberal election platform commitments. The government’s agenda was expected to be further articulated through Cabinet discussions and in the throne speech, when Parliament had been recalled.

The federal government had committed to invest $100-million more a year in the growth and development of clean technology companies; work with the private sector to unlock venture capital; shift subsidies from fossil fuels to "new and clean technology"; support energy efficiency and electric vehicles; create a $2-billion fund to support projects that would cut carbon emissions; and work with the provinces to put a price on carbon pollution and ensure more renewable, clean electricity was being produced.

Edited by Chanel de Bruyn
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor Online

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