Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change first annual report: reporting and oversight

Measurement and reporting on emissions

Under the Pan-Canadian Framework, federal, provincial and territorial governments committed to collaborate through the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) to track and report GHG emissions in a consistent way across the country, to monitor progress of the Pan-Canadian Framework, and to support international reporting obligations. In 2017, good progress was made in all of these areas. To increase consistency across emissions inventories and GHG emissions reporting, CCME explored opportunities for greater alignment on GHG emissions reporting standards and requirements across various sectors of the economy. CCME assessed opportunities for greater alignment on reporting requirements for facility-level and non-facility emissions with the goal of improving consistency in the methodologies used across jurisdictions for their GHG inventories. While governments are already aligned in some areas, they will continue to explore options for achieving greater consistency of emissions inventories and tracking. CCME also undertook to improve projections of future GHG emissions. In particular, CCME is developing best practices and guidelines on modelling technological change in the Canadian context. This guidance will help increase alignment and improve consistency across jurisdictions in this area.

Federal, provincial, and territorial governments have also committed to examining options for a pan-Canadian GHG offsets framework to develop best-practices in offset system design to support creation of verified carbon credits that can be traded domestically and internationally. CCME also committed to explore scope for greater cooperation among jurisdictions on the administration of offsets systems, including the use of shared infrastructure such as registries to track verified carbon credits. To this end, CCME completed extensive stakeholder engagement on key elements for a pan-Canadian offsets framework and identified areas to support the development of this framework.

Reporting on implementation

The implementation of the Pan-Canadian Framework is a collaborative effort and a shared responsibility of federal, provincial and territorial governments. A governance structure has been established to support intergovernmental coordination on Pan-Canadian Framework implementation and reporting. Nine federal-provincial-territorial Ministerial Tables are responsible for coordinating Pan-Canadian Framework actions that fall within their respective Ministerial portfolios, including Environment, Energy, Infrastructure, Transport, Forestry, Agriculture, Innovation, Emergency Management and Finance. Four Ministerial Tables (CCME, Energy, Innovation, and Finance) are mandated to provide strategic analysis and oversight for each of the Pan-Canadian Framework pillars. A new Federal-Provincial-Territorial Coordinating Committee of Experts has been established to develop the annual Synthesis Report to First Ministers that integrates Pan-Canadian Framework-related input from federal-provincial-territorial Ministerial Tables. The Intergovernmental Affairs Deputy Ministers play a key role in finalizing and delivering this annual report to the First Ministers.

This first annual Synthesis Report to First Minsters focuses on tracking progress in establishing governance structures, mobilizing funding and initiating programs and regulations. The focus of subsequent reports will shift toward concrete results and outcomes to track collective results and progress in implementing the Pan-Canadian Framework. In order to facilitate robust and coordinated reporting going forward, over the coming year federal, provincial, and territorial governments will work collaboratively through the CCME, as well as through Innovation Ministers to identify appropriate ways to track progress on the Pan-Canadian Framework. In order to avoid duplication with provincial and territorial reporting mechanisms, this work will build on existing climate change reporting across governments including drawing on existing indicators and best practices. These efforts may also be informed by other initiatives underway, including the Expert Panel on Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Results, which will provide advice to the federal government on measuring progress on adaptation and climate resilience in March 2018, as well as the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Working Group on Clean Technology Data currently undertaking consultation to advance the development of the clean technology data strategy. Future reports will also identify policy outcomes, implementation challenges and opportunities and provide recommendations on how to address them.

Analysis and advice

Governments have committed to engaging experts to ensure that actions taken are effective and that decision-making is informed by science and evidence. The Government of Canada has assessed different approaches for engaging experts, including the creation of a new expert-based organization, spanning the four pillars of the Pan-Canadian Framework. In the coming months, the Government of Canada will engage provinces and territories and National Indigenous Organizations on options for expert engagement to support analysis and the provision of advice on clean growth and climate change.

Review

Federal, provincial and territorial governments will work together to establish the approach to the review of carbon pricing, including expert assessment of stringency and effectiveness that compares carbon pricing systems across Canada, which will be completed by early 2022 to provide certainty on the path forward. An interim review will be completed in 2020. As an early deliverable to this interim review, work was initiated to examine approaches and best practices to address the competitiveness of emissions-intensive and trade-exposed sectors.

Commitment to continue to engage and partner with Indigenous Peoples

First Ministers directed federal, provincial, and territorial governments to work together to report on the implementation of the Pan-Canadian Framework, engaging with relevant ministerial tables, and with meaningful involvement of Indigenous Peoples. Federal, provincial, and territorial governments will continue to engage and partner with Indigenous Peoples as actions are implemented and progress is tracked. Following the joint commitments made by the Prime Minister and National Leaders of the Assembly of First Nations, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, and the Métis National Council, the Government of Canada is collaborating with First Nations, Inuit, and the Métis Nation to establish three distinctions-based senior bilateral tables based on recognition of rights, co-operation and partnership. These tables will provide a structured, collaborative approach for ongoing engagement with Indigenous Peoples in the implementation of the Pan-Canadian Framework and on broader clean growth and climate change priorities. This will help ensure that Indigenous Peoples are full and effective partners in advancing clean growth and addressing climate change.