2019-2020 Annual Report
Overview
The Canadian Environment Domestic Advisory Group (CEDAG) was established as part of Canada’s commitments under the Trade and Environment Chapter under the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). We are ten volunteers that were appointed in June 2019 by the Hon. Catherine McKenna, then the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). We have accomplished a considerable amount in our first year. First, we were briefed on implementation processes under CETA and what it means for advancing sustainable development and environmental protection in Canada. Secondly, last November we participated in the annual Civil Society Forum and a Canada Domestic Advisory Groups – EU Domestic Advisory Group (DAG to DAG) meeting. Thirdly, in March the CEDAG - with support from ECCC - held a public Civil Society Workshop with experts and stakeholders, which was followed by an internal meeting of CEDAG at which we discussed our priorities for the coming year. CEDAG has issued two letters of advice to the Hon. Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada.
Key Principles
CEDAG has identified three key principles which we believe will facilitate the successful implementation of CETA, and particularly the Environment Chapter. We respectfully encourage the Government of Canada to adopt the following principles:
- Engagement and Full Inclusion of Indigenous People - Until now, there has been no engagement by Canada with Indigenous Peoples on the CETA, or its implementation. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission calls upon the federal, provincial, territorial, and municipal governments to adopt and implement fully the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous peoples as the framework for reconciliation and engagement. Indigenous peoples have a deep connection and knowledge of their traditional lands, water ways and coastlines, from which Canada would benefit. The CEDAG encourages the government to fully include, engage, and consult Indigenous Peoples and to engage the three National Indigenous Organizations on the implementation of the CETA.
- Transparency – Transparency in government operations is critical to earning credibility with civil society and the business community because transparency contributes to robust and inclusive policy making and greater policy certainty for investment.
- Science/Data Driven Decision Making – Founding decisions on science and data is fundamental to obtaining strong outcomes. For this to be achieved, processes need to be in place to generate the necessary science and data.
Priority Topics
In fulfillment of our advisory mandate, the CEDAG may identify gaps in Canada’s CETA Trade and Environment policy, review CETA-related environmental projects which Canada proposes to undertake with the EU, and provide guidance on agenda items for meetings of the Civil Society Forum and the Trade and Sustainable Development (TSD) Committee.
CEDAG has identified three priority topics, which we aim to investigate further and upon which our future advice will be focused. These interrelated priorities are aligned with Canada’s priorities:
- Climate Change and 2050 Net Zero Emissions – CETA parties have reaffirmed their commitments under the Paris Agreements and agree to cooperate in furthering their domestic actions. It is abundantly clear to the CEDAG that climate change requires global cooperation and partnership to achieve domestic reduction objectives. Canada and the EU have the potential to create mutual international economic opportunities that help countries meet and surpass their targets. This will entail the trading of goods and services, including carbon. We note with interest Canada’s ambition and its belief that there is opportunity in clean technology. However, the necessary investments will only occur with policy certainty, and the adoption of robust and transparent rules and safeguards before using mitigation outcomes mechanisms under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.
- Circular Economy and Regulatory Cooperation – The current fundamental design of the life-cycle of products and services are not sustainable. Modern society has become reliant on disposable products without enough recycling capacity to avoid overloading landfills and our environment. Product life-cycle designs and economic flows need to be transformed to create a truly circular economy. Regulatory cooperation is a key tool to affecting this transformation across the global marketplace. We encourage Canada and the EU to show leadership on this important issue through cooperation in advancing sustainable life-cycle management under CETA.
- Biodiversity – It is widely accepted that the globe is facing an unprecedented threat of biodiversity loss. The world needs to identify and adopt solutions to achieve sustainable production and consumption of goods and services while better protecting biodiversity and restoring biodiversity loss. How CETA implementation intersects with this imperative is of keen interest to CEDAG members and we ask for more information about any programs, policies or research to support EU-Canada collaboration on protecting biodiversity and restoring biodiversity loss.
CEDAG is aware of the formal Early Review of the Trade and Sustainable Development (TSD) Chapter (also referred to as the TSD Early Review), which includes both the Labour and Environment Chapters. CEDAG supports Canada’s approach of including ambitious and enforceable environment provisions in trade agreements. Further, CEDAG encourages the Government of Canada to focus this Early Review on seeking agreement to adopt measures (such as monetary penalties) to ensure Chapters 22-24 are enforceable in line with the rest of CETA. Our view is that it is too early for a comprehensive TSD review but that Canada’s efforts should focus on achieving agreement with the EU on measures to enhance the enforceability of the existing provisions.
Results and Contributions
CEDAG has issued two letters to the Hon. Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada. The first was in May as an outcome of our March Workshop and meeting, in which we shared our key principles and priority topics for the coming year – as noted above. The second was in July, in which we shared perspectives on the COVID-19 pandemic and the CETA. This letter included six questions of immediate concern to CEDAG as the Government of Canada embarks on recovery planning. These were:
- Prevention of a rebounding of greenhouse gas emissions as Canada recovers. Is the government committed to taking measures to reinforce and incentivize the pandemic-related reductions?
- What is the government doing to match the ambition of the European Green New Deal and achieving our respective environmental commitments?
- How is Canada considering CETA in its Blue Economy Strategy and more broadly when considering actions to address marine biodiversity issues?
- What steps are being taken to enhance transparency and access by civil society to information about negotiations on trade and the environment under CETA?
- How will the federal government entrench social inclusion in building an environmentally sustainable trading relationship with the EU under CETA and in implementing a green economic recovery plan?
- What steps has Canada taken to ensure it (and the provinces) has not derogated from its environmental protection obligations?
Events
- CETA Civil Society Forum 2019, 12 November 2019 (Report)
- Joint Statement Canada-EU DAG meeting, 11 November 2019
- CETA Environmental Civil Society Workshop, 2 March 2020 (Report)
Next Steps
As the CEDAG works on its current CETA priority topics:
- climate change and 2050 net zero emissions;
- the circular economy and regulatory cooperation;
- biological diversity, it will be considering how the Government of Canada can utilize the environmental chapter of the CETA to drive an environmentally sustainable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
CEDAG Membership
- Yannick Beaudoin, Director General Ontario and Northern Canada, David Suzuki Foundation
- Kerrie Blaise, Northern Services Counsel, Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA), Blaise Law Professional Corporation
- Oonagh Fitzgerald, Senior Fellow, Centre for Human Rights Research and Education; Director, International Law Association of Canada
- Dakota Kochie, Political Advisor to the National Chief, Assembly of First Nations
- Paul Lansbergen, President, Fisheries Council of Canada
- Hélène Lauzon, President, Conseil patronal de l'environnement du Québec
- Denis Leclerc, President & CEO, Ecotech QuebecCanada Cleantech Alliance
- Mike Moffatt, Senior Director of Policy and Innovation, Smart Prosperity Institute
- Channa Perera, Vice-President, Policy Development, Canadian Electricity Association
- Eddy Pérez, International Policy Analyst, Climate Action Network Canada
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