Environment minister warns of ‘difficult choices’ on climate

Canada’s environment minister is warning “difficult choices” lie ahead in tackling climate change, a message echoed Friday by Ontario and Quebec premiers who say the “low-hanging fruit” has already been collected in cutting greenhouse gases.

The premier of Quebec is also calling for a serious “rebranding of the country” over what Canada is doing on energy development and combating climate change, as the Canadian delegation prepares to head to Paris for the United Nations climate-change conference that starts Nov. 30.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will meet provincial and territorial premiers on Monday in the Ottawa area to discuss Canada’s approach heading into the Paris climate conference.

On Friday, Federal Environment and Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna, along with Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard, spoke frankly about the challenges facing the country if Canada is to substantially reduce its GHGs.

McKenna said “there is no denying” that Canada is in a tough spot when it comes to curbing greenhouse gas emissions because previous Conservative and Liberal governments didn’t do nearly enough to combat climate change.

“We know what we have to do. The science is plain. The evidence is there. And here’s the thing about evidence-based policy making — sometimes it’s going to lead us to a difficult place and to difficult choices,” McKenna said in a keynote speech to the Canada 2020 conference.

“We need to come to grips with the challenge we’re facing — and we need to act. No more delays. No more denials. We need to act. None of this is going to be easy.”

McKenna said that having Canada do its part to fight climate change “does not mean sacrificing” energy production or economic growth, but added that development projects must meet grittier environmental standards and have public support.

She reiterated that the federal government will work with the provinces in the coming months, after the Paris conference, to come up with ambitious greenhouse gas reduction targets and a “clear and practical” plan for achieving them.

Couillard, meanwhile, is calling for a complete “rebranding” of how Canada sells itself on the international stage when it comes to energy and environment.

Quebec alone is fourth in the world in renewable energy, and Canada as a whole is third, he said. “But who knows that?”

Further, close to 70 per cent of the Canadian population lives in provinces that attach a strong pricing signal to carbon through a market or a revenue-neutral carbon tax, he said.

“This should be our message in Paris. The fact that Canada is at the same time an important oil producer and also a leader in renewable energy,” said Couillard.

“Obviously a serious exercise of rebranding is needed. A new narrative is needed,” he added. “Nobody knows the true picture of Canada’s energy sector.”

Wynne said the declaration signed by all provinces and territories from the Quebec climate summit this past April will be the “launching pad” for premiers going into the first ministers’ meeting and will form a strong foundation for the Paris conference.

The declaration included commitments to transition to a low-carbon economy by 2050; to implement programs that reduce GHG emissions through measures such as carbon pricing, carbon capture and storage and other technological innovation; and to invest in renewable energy and energy efficiency measures, among other initiatives.

Wynne says the declaration agreed to by the provinces shows the federal government that the “kids’ table has learned to work really well together,” she said, “so we’re not going to take any nonsense.”

Couillard noted provinces like Quebec and Ontario have achieved substantial emissions reductions in recent years, but that “lowhanging fruit” has already been collected in terms of cutting GHGs.

“What’s ahead of us is going to be extremely difficult,” he said, specifically noting Canada’s transportation sector that is responsible for about one-quarter of the country’s emissions.

Wynne agreed that Ontario’s biggest GHG challenge ahead of it is from the transportation sector and tailpipe emissions, and that the province is faced with whether to build more roads or make the “really difficult decisions” about transit.