Energy and Mines Ministers' Conference 2016 - Energy

Backgrounder

This year’s Energy and Mines Ministers’ Conference (EMMC), hosted by Manitoba, gave federal, provincial and territorial ministers an opportunity to discuss current opportunities and challenges related to building public confidence in energy development. Restoring the public’s trust in environmental assessments and regulatory processes and ensuring that decisions are based on science, facts and evidence, including the traditional knowledge of Indigenous peoples, are key to enhancing confidence in the system.

Energy ministers also acknowledged the success of provincial and territorial governments in launching the Canadian Energy Strategy. They reviewed collaborative efforts in implementing specific initiatives of the Strategy, including in the areas of energy efficiency, energy technology and delivering energy to people. Additionally, the ministers discussed opportunities to reduce risk and incentivize investment in Canadian value-added projects to create a more resilient energy sector in Canada. This work will also support the Leaders’ Statement on a North American Climate, Clean Energy, and Environment Partnership, issued by Prime Minister Trudeau and his counterparts at the recent North American Leaders’ Summit. They committed to reporting on shared progress to First Ministers in the fall of 2016, including joint priorities for next year in support of a clean environment and strong economy.

Key Energy Deliverables:
 
Enhancing Public Confidence in Canada’s Energy Sector

The ministers heard the findings and recommendations of a National Workshop on Public Confidence held on June 9, 2016, attended by over 100 leading stakeholders. Ministers committed to continue to engage with stakeholders to develop and implement positive approaches to building public confidence in Canada’s resource sectors. The ministers released the Public Confidence Along the Energy Development Cycleinfographic to identify opportunities to build public confidence throughout the life cycle of a project and the Compendium of Case Studies on Building Public Confidence in the Mineral and Energy Resource Sectorsto highlight best practices and lessons learned to building public confidence in Canada’s resource sectors that have been implemented by governments, regulatory authorities and industry in collaboration with communities across Canada.

The ministers emphasized the need to strengthen public confidence in the way major resource projects are assessed and reviewed, ensuring that regulatory decisions are based on science and evidence and that Indigenous peoples, as well as local communities, are full partners in the environmental assessment and regulatory process. A responsible, timely and predictable system with robust and science-based regulatory processes will help to build the public confidence needed to move Canada’s resources to market. Energy and mines ministers committed to working collaboratively in the ongoing review of federal regulatory processes and to finding the best ways to protect our environment and grow our economy in order to ensure a clean, sustainable future for all Canadians and generations to come.

Energy Efficiency

Encouraging Market Transformation Through Collaboration on Energy Efficiency Standards is a framework that defines how governments can collaborate to achieve greater harmonization on energy efficiency standards. The accompanying Action Plan will establish joint priorities for new and updated energy efficiency standards, establish strategies to prepare the market for future regulations and improve regulatory development, implementation and transparency.

The report Financing Energy Efficiency Retrofits in the Built Environmentprovides governments with an analysis of the innovative financing mechanisms used to promote energy efficiency upgrades in residential, commercial and industrial buildings, along with best practices to accelerate their adoption.

Clean Technology

The Innovation Clusters on Shale Resource Development and Distributed Power Generation: A Progress Report to Ministers builds on the collaborative action plans endorsed by ministers at EMMC 2015 by reporting on their progress to date. Innovation clusters, as a mechanism for collaboration, have successfully encouraged federal, provincial and territorial governments and other stakeholders to come together and leverage each other’s expertise to accelerate energy technology and innovation.

The report Working Together to Advance Energy Research and Development: Best Practices and Lessons-Learned for RD&D Collaboration highlights the importance of federal, provincial and territorial (F/P/T) collaboration in energy technology and innovation. By profiling a series of F/P/T collaboration success stories, the report examines further opportunities for collaboration among different levels of government, which can have a profound impact on energy technology and innovation in Canada. Also highlighted was Canada’s involvement in international energy technology initiatives, such as Mission Innovation, which also provide a platform for F/P/T collaboration.

Oil and Gas

A study by the Conference Board of Canada on the direct and indirect impacts of low oil prices on Canadian industry, government revenues and economic growth over the next five to 10 years was showcased at the conference. The study contributes to the understanding of the macro impacts of the oil price decline on Canada’s industries and economy over the medium to long term and highlights the importance and urgency of moving our energy products to domestic and international markets.

Electric Reliability

Through EMMC, the federal, provincial and territorial governments are committed to providing fundamental information on Canada’s energy resources. To this end, governments launched a web portal that brings federal, provincial and territorial electric reliability information together for the first time. It builds on the previous work to develop and maintain information about pipeline safety regimes and shale and tight resources. To learn more, please visit www.nrcan.gc.ca/energy/electricity-infrastructure/18792.

Media may contact:

Alexandre Deslongchamps
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Natural Resources
343-292-6837
Media Relations
Natural Resources Canada
Ottawa
343-292-6100

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John B. Thorpe
Communications Coordinator
Communications Services Manitoba
Winnipeg, Manitoba
204-945-4997

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Hon. James Gordon Carr Natural Resources Canada Nature and Environment