Catherine McKenna, Canada’s Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, has announced imminent steps that may take Canada towards environmental sustainability. Coming out of a meeting in Vancouver, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the country’s premiers declared that they have been working on a climate change plan for the nation, though fairly few specifics were given.
The environment minister is now stating that, should the premiers fail to come to an agreement for more rigorous carbon pricing, a national price may be imposed. The Prime Minister has also said that that would be an essential part of the agreement, though the varying challenges and needs of the provinces and territories may slow the process. The premier of Saskatchewan, for example, has been a particularly vocal challenger against the carbon price, as he believes that his province has already made efforts to reduce carbon emissions.
McKenna hopes to look at existing plans from provinces such as Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, and British Columbia as a starting point. Besides carbon pricing, the plan will also include provisions for sustainable innovation, emissions reduction, and measures to adapt to climate change.
The Prime Minister, along with a Canadian delegation that includes the Minister of the Environment, will also be heading down to Washington D.C. on Thursday in order to speak with US President Barack Obama in order to develop a North American climate change plan. The regulations for industrial activity such as fracking will be discussed, as well as other natural resources trading deals between the two countries. The two nations will set emissions reduction goals, which will hopefully result in more success than past attempts. These targets aim to be more ambitious than ones set by the countries for previous initiatives. It’s still too early to tell just how much Canada will commit to a rigorous environmental plan however, and we cannot yet determine how feasible these goals might be.
This step is the latest in several attempts by Trudeau’s government to improve environmental health and reduce harmful emissions. On a different note, funding will be heading in the direction of Parks Canada as well, which took quite the hit under the previous Conservative government, which resulted in a $30 million budget cut in 2012. The new influx of funding will go towards the preservation of Canada’s parklands and the development of eco-tourism based economies for communities local to the parks.
Also, PSA: in 2017, for the 150th anniversary of the confederation, Canada will be making admission to national parks free for all visitors. What’s more, from 2018 onwards, admission will be free for those under the age of 18, and new immigrants will get one year’s free admission. It’d be a great time to go outside!
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