Climate change: Appearance before the Standing Committee – March 24, 2022

Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act

Q1. How can the federal government tangibly demonstrate accountability and transparency in its results?

Q2. How will Parliament ensure that the federal government is held to account for action on climate change?

If pressed:

Q3. What steps will the federal government take to ensure that Canada’s climate plan, policies, and actions align with its new targets?

Q4. How can the federal government (advised by the Net-Zero Advisory Body) advance the implementation of the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act and its incremental 5-year milestones?

Q5. How can coordination across all levels of government be strengthened?

Q6. Is there a legal risk of not meeting the emissions targets?

If pressed

Q7. What has Canada done to date to achieve its 2030 target and its 2050 target?

Carbon pollution pricing

Q1. What is carbon pricing and why is it important?

Q2. What is the federal benchmark and what does it do? Why not let provinces and territories decide for themselves how to price carbon pollution?

Q3. How does carbon pricing impact competitiveness, and what is the impact on Canadian industries?

Q4. Has the federal government considered implementing border carbon adjustments to help mitigate carbon leakage?

Cap and cut emissions from oil and gas

Q1. What is the approach to cap and cut oil and gas sector emissions?

Q2. How would an emissions cap affect oil and gas production, exports, and energy security?

Q3. Is the oil and gas sector target achievable? If it costs too much, won’t it just scare investment away from Canada?

Q4. What are the most promising decarbonisation pathways for the oil and gas sector?

Clean Electricity Standard

Q1. How will the Government of Canada support jurisdictions that face significant challenges in reaching Canada’s clean electricity goals by 2035?

Q2. Will workers and their communities be affected by the transition to net-zero electricity?

Q3. Will a Clean Electricity Standard increase electricity costs for Canadians?

Supplemental

Q4. Canada’s oil and gas industry has recently recovered from an extended downturn following the start of COVID-19. How does this new climate plan help the electricity sector?

Q5. How will the Clean Electricity Standard (“CES”) impact electricity affordability in 2035?

Q6. How will the Government of Canada reduce economic impacts on emissions-intensive-trade-exposed industries (EITEI)?

Q7. What role will nuclear generation technologies play in allowing provinces to decarbonize their electricity systems?

Q8. How might a Clean Electricity Standard fit into the current regulatory environment for reducing the use of fossil fuels in energy (e.g. Clean Fuel Standard; Output-Based Pricing System Regulations; coal and natural gas electricity regulations)?

Q9. With recent calls from Quebec and Alberta to conserve electricity usage (during Dec/Jan 2022’s cold snap), is this the right time to make big changes to the country’s electricity grid? How will the Government ensure the reliability of the grid under a future CES?

Clean Fuel Regulations

Q1. What is the timeline for the publication of the final Clean Fuel Regulations?

Q2. What do the Clean Fuel Regulations cover?

Q3. Do the Clean Fuel Regulations duplicate what would be achieved by carbon pollution pricing or the oil and gas cap?

Inefficient fossil fuel subsidies

Q1. What is being done to stop providing fossil fuel subsidies?

Q2. What progress has the government made on the G20 commitment?

Q3. Can you provide the definition of efficient and inefficient fossil fuel subsidies?

Q4. What is an example of an inefficient fossil fuel subsidy?

Q5. In terms of reviewing inefficient fossil fuel subsidies, Canada has committed to undergo a peer review process under the G20. When will the government complete the peer review?

International climate finance

Q1. What are the main objectives of Canada’s climate finance?

Q2. What results has Canada achieved from its international climate finance?

Q3. Is Canada contributing its fair share of climate finance?

Q4. Are we on track to meet the collective $100 billion goal by 2020?

Q5. What is Canada doing to support Small Islands Developing States (SIDS)?

Q6. How much of the $5.3B climate finance envelope is ECCC implementing?

National Adaptation Strategy

Q1. What is the National Adaptation Strategy and why do we need one?

Q2. How is the Strategy being developed?

Q3. What will the Strategy accomplish?

National Inventory Report

Q1. What are the key highlights from 2021 National Inventory Report?

Q2. What parts of the economy have seen emissions increases in the last decade?

Q3. Are GHG emissions data available by industrial facility in Canada?

Q4. ls Canada improving methane emissions estimates in future editions of the NIR?

Q5. How is Canada consulting with Province and Territories on emissions?

Q6. What impact did COVID-19 have on emissions?

Q7. When will the next edition of the NIR be published?

Net Zero Accelerator Initiative

Q1. What is the Net Zero Accelerator Initiative?

Q2. What role does Environment and Climate Change have in the initiative?

Q3. Can you give an example of the types of investments that are being made?

Net-Zero Advisory Body

Q1. What is the mandate of the Net-Zero Advisory Body?

Q2. Is the Net-Zero Advisory Body independent?

Q3. Who has the Net-Zero Advisory Body met with so far?

Q4. What work has the Net-Zero Advisory Body done this year?

Q5. What are the Net-Zero Advisory Body’s lines of inquiry?

Q6. Who are the members of the Net-Zero Advisory Body?

  1. Marie-Pierre Ippersiel, co-chair (QC)
  2. Dan Wicklum, co-chair (AB)
  3. Catherine Abreu (NS)
  4. Gaetan Thomas (NB)
  5. John T. Wright (SK)
  6. Kim Thomassin (QC)
  7. Kluane Adamek (YK)
  8. Linda Coady (BC)
  9. Sarah Houde (QC)
  10. Simon Donner (BC)
  11. Yung Wu (ON)

Q7. What requirements does the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act place on the Minister of Environment and Climate Change in relation to the Net-Zero Advisory Body?

Q8. What advice has the Net-Zero Advisory Body provided on setting cap and targets for the oil and gas sector?

Methane emissions reductions

Q1. Why is methane important? Why is it necessary to have a strategy focused specifically on methane rather than all greenhouse gases?

Q2. What is the government doing or planning to do about methane emissions?

Q3. What is the status of the government’s commitment to develop an economy-wide methane plan, as per the Environment Minister’s mandate letter?

Q4. Is the Global Methane Pledge target of reducing methane economy-wide by 30% by 2030 achievable? How are you going to achieve that target?

Q5. Are the government’s methane plans going to impact farmers?

Returning proceeds from carbon pollution pricing

Q1. What is the Government of Canada doing with the revenues it collects through carbon pollution pricing?

Q2. What is the OBPS Proceeds Fund?

Q3. How will the Government of Canada return proceeds to provinces or territories that have transitioned out of the federal OBPS and implemented their own carbon pollution pricing system for industrial emitters?

Q4. How much funding is available under the OBPS Proceeds Fund? How is it allocated?

OBPS Proceeds Fund (proceeds for 2019)
Province DIP estimated funding available (in millions) FEF estimated funding available (in millions)
Manitoba $5.3 $0.3
New Brunswick $0.9 $5.9
Ontario $68.3 $17.0
Saskatchewan $6.9 $56.3

Q5. How will the Government of Canada return proceeds to Indigenous groups or governments?

Sustainable Finance Action Council

Q1. What is the purpose and the mandate of the Sustainable Finance Action Council?

Q2. What is sustainable finance and why is it important for reaching Canada’s climate goals?

Q3. What is the Government doing to advance sustainable finance in Canada?

Q4. Is the goal of sustainable finance to divest from fossil fuel sectors?

Q5. How do you respond to the Bank of Canada and the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions recently released Climate Change Scenario Analysis report that indicates that the transition to net-zero will be extremely costly?

Zero-emission vehicles

Q1. What is the role of zero-emission vehicles in GHG emissions reduction?

Q2. Is Canada’s ZEV target too ambitious?

Q3. Your department recently completed consultations. What are the views of industry, stakeholders to the Government’s ZEV targets?

Q4. How does Canada compare to other countries in terms of ambition?

Q5. How is Canada going to support the existing on-road medium and heavy-duty vehicle fleet?

Q6. How are GHGs from passenger automobiles and light trucks currently regulated?

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