Federal, provincial environment ministers conclude meeting by stressing economic growth

Canada's environment ministers met in Calgary on Wednesday, against the unavoidable backdrop of wildfires raging halfway across the country

Environment ministers from across the provinces and the federal government wrapped up a meeting in Calgary on Wednesday with a message that conservation policies need to be balanced against the need for economic development. The spirit of willingness to accept trade-offs between industry and the environment seemed to differ from Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment meetings under longtime environment minister Steven Guilbeault. Alberta Environment Minister Grant Hunter said at a press conference at the end of the meeting that his focus was on amplifying a “significant shift in the national conversation” that’s moving governments toward more pragmatic environmental policies that boost, rather than hinder economic activities.

“Not long ago, the economic consequences of environmental policies were too often treated as a separate consideration, or even as something that should not be part of the discussion,” said Hunter “Today, there is a growing recognition that the decisions we make as environment ministers have major implications for investment, jobs, affordability, competitiveness and Canada’s ability to get major projects built,” he added. Hunter said that the very location of the annual meeting exemplified this change in thinking, happening as it was in the city headquarters of the oil and gas industry.

The fossil fuels sector was previously seen as targeted by the former prime minister, Justin Trudeau, and Guilbeault. “Meeting (in Calgary) sends a clear message: Canada is ready to build again,” said Hunter. Hunter was flanked by federal Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin and other provincial and territorial ministers.

Dabrusin said she agreed that growing the economy and protecting the environment should go hand in hand. “We need an approach ... that changes the structure of (the) economy, so that emissions reductions become a feature of economic growth, not a constraint on it,” said Dabrusin. The two ministers touted co-operation on the environment file, including agreements on the industrial carbon tax and carbon capture in the Canada-Alberta memorandum of understanding, specifically the Pathways Project backed by major oilsands producers that is intended to store emissions underground.

Hunter defended the largely publicly funded multibillion-dollar project as an important component of greater oilsands development. “What the world is demanding is for us to double production and to be able to do that in a responsible way,” he said. Dabrusin reiterated the federal government’s goal of getting to net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

The environment ministers also put out a communiqué detailing areas of discussion during the Calgary summit. “Ministers discussed practical ways to ensure strong environmental standards and processes that protect human health and Canada’s air, land, and water while supporting economic growth, attracting investment, and creating jobs by making environmental permitting more efficient, and reducing regulatory burden,” read the document. “(They) also discussed best practices in extended producer responsibility and the circular economy.”

The circular economy refers to reducing waste through minimization and reuse. Under Guilbeault, who disagreed often with provincial governments, the annual council tended to focus on a few specific non-contentious areas while avoiding agreements on climate approaches. Ministers also met with Indigenous business representatives in a separate meeting a day before the meeting.

Dawn Farrell, the head of the federal Major Projects Office, also met with the environment ministers in Calgary. National Post rmohamed@postmedia.com