Minister McKenna concludes successful visit to Silicon Valley, California

April 21, 2017 – San Francisco, California – Environment and Climate Change Canada

The Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Catherine McKenna, concluded today a positive visit to California. As friends, partners, and allies, Canada and the United States have the most successful economic relationship in the world, supporting millions of middle-class jobs—including 1.2 million jobs in California. Minister McKenna met with state, business, and thought leaders to emphasize the importance of Canada’s partnership with California and to showcase Canada’s competitive advantage in the clean-technology sector.

She met with Governor Jerry Brown, and they discussed ways to increase Canada’s trade and investment ties with California and tackle climate change. She also announced Canada’s endorsement of the Under2 Coalition of states, provinces, and cities committed to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions.

The Minister travelled to Silicon Valley, where she met with businesses to discuss Canada’s commitment to support clean-technology innovation, create jobs, and grow the economy on both sides of the border. She visited Nest—makers of smart, energy-saving thermostats—and Google, who aims to use 100 percent renewable energy for their global operations in 2017. The Minister also witnessed first-hand a Canadian success story: Dartmouth, Nova Scotia's CarbonCure’s revolutionary technology being used at Central Concrete’s San Jose plant.

At Stanford University, the Minister heard from former U.S. Secretary of State, George P. Shultz, with leaders from the Hoover Institution and the Stanford Precourt Institute for Energy. There, the Minister focused on the role government can play in promoting private-sector innovation in clean energy and clean technology.

Minister McKenna gave a keynote address at the “Navigating the American Carbon World Conference,” North America’s longest-running conference focusing on carbon markets. In her remarks, she discussed the importance of trade between the U.S. and Canada; investments in clean energy, infrastructure, and transportation; and the central role that pricing carbon pollution will play in growing a clean economy.

Encouraging investment in Canadian clean technology supports the goals of the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change to meet or exceed Canada’s emissions reduction target and to grow the economy.