The Net-Zero Advisory Body is pleased to release our second What We Heard Report. This shares our engagement efforts from 2022 and 2023, and what we heard during our engagement activities during that time.

Ten overarching themes emerged from our 2022-2023 engagement:

Accountability: Culture and mechanisms for net-zero accountability need to be embedded in both public and private sectors to set and keep us on net-zero pathways.

Affordability: Net-zero policy development must consider the cost-of-living challenges facing many Canadians.

Competitiveness: Net-zero policy needs to both reduce emissions and position Canada to have a competitive and prosperous net-zero economy.

Equity: Climate policies and programs need to build stronger and more equitable communities, that respond to social, health and economic needs, while also driving emissions reductions.

Indigenous rights: Indigenous rights must be respected, including the full and meaningful implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, for all net-zero projects and pathways.

Implementation: Action is needed now to fully implement committed policies in a timely manner to achieve Canada’s ambitious greenhouse gas emissions reductions goals, and in many cases strengthen them to set us on pathways to net-zero.

People: Net-zero pathways must include greater focus on people, including Indigenous Peoples, local and racialized communities, the private sector (small-and-medium sized enterprises), workers and trade unions, as well as with youth, new Canadians, women and economically vulnerable populations.

Regional awareness: Regional differences and circumstances, including differing urban and rural needs, energy system designs, and infrastructure and workforce distribution, need to be considered during the design and implementation of net-zero policies and programs.

Transparency: Canada’s net-zero policy-making process, including the use of data and modeling, must be open and transparent.

Vision: Canada requires a clear vision on what the country’s net-zero future and energy transition looks like to drive demand and investment.

Engagement is part of NZAB’s mandate as per our Terms of Reference and the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act. We view engagement as critical to cultivating the collective commitment and shared leadership across all orders of government, Indigenous Peoples, the private sector, and civil society, and to inform and drive pathways to net-zero.

NZAB looks forward to strengthening relationships with stakeholders and partners and listening to new voices and perspectives to inform its advice on independent pathways to net-zero in the months and years ahead.  In particular, we recognize that Indigenous Peoples are at the forefront of both climate change impacts and climate change action. We are deeply grateful to the Indigenous partners with whom we engaged in 2022 and 2023. We acknowledge there is much more work for us to do to ensure that our advice more fully reflects Indigenous knowledge, representative perspectives, lived experiences, and leadership.

Members from Canada’s Net-Zero Advisory Body (NZAB) will once again be attending the 28^th annual United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties, known as COP, taking place this year from 30 November until 12 December 2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). NZAB is co-hosting an event at the Canada Pavilion on December 5, 2023, with the Canadian Climate Institute (CCI).

The Developing a Net-Zero Energy System Vision for all Canadians event will build on momentum from recent COP meetings where countries increasingly recognized the massive transformation required for energy systems to meet net-zero commitments.

Panels will explore the role visions can play in leading this transformation by describing credible pathways to drive collective action and discuss the opportunity for just transitions by creating visions through collaboration and principles to meet socio-political and economic objectives. Canadian and international panelists will also provide their perspectives on developing net-zero energy systems reflecting the diversity of nations’ populations.

Check out the event page for more information about this event including speakers from SevenGen Energy, the Métis Nation of Alberta, the Environment and Climate Change Youth Council, and Presidential Climate Commission of South Africa.

Don’t forget to check back here for a summary of NZAB attendance and reflections after COP28 concludes!

Links

• COP28 UAE -United Nations Climate Change Conference
• Collaborations: CCI
• Twitter @NZAB_Canada

Mark your calendars! On November 9, 2023, join the Canadian Climate Institute and the Net-Zero Advisory Body for our third annual pan-Canadian climate conference: Building Momentum Toward Net Zero.

Date: Thursday, November 9, 2023, full-day conference

Last year’s conference was a huge success with more than 1,500 participants. This year’s conference promises to be just as dynamic with our great line-up of national and international speakers including:

• Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources
• Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change
• Corinne Le Quéré, Chair, The High Council for Climate, France
• Geoffrey R. Pyatt, Assistant Secretary for Energy Resources, U.S. Department of State
• Catherine Cobden, President & CEO, Canadian Steel Producers Association
• Celyeste Power, President and CEO, Insurance Bureau of Canada
• James Jenkins, Executive Director, Indigenous Clean Energy

Schedule

8:30 am Welcome and Land Acknowledgement

• Tosh Southwick, Climate Institute
• Sarah Houde, NZAB
• Elder Verna McGregor

8:45 am Latest results of NZAB and the Climate Institute’s advice and analysis

• Dan Wicklum, Co-chair, Net-Zero Advisory Body
• Rick Smith, President, Canadian Climate Institute

8:55 am Opening remarks

• Mairead Lavery, President & CEO, Export Development Canada
• Bea Bruske, President, Canadian Labour Congress

9:05 am Panel 1: Regulating Zero Emission Vehicles

• Moderator: Simon Donner, NZAB
  Speakers: Brian Kingston, Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers

                         Joanna Kyriazis, Clean Energy Canada

                          Katya Rhodes, University of Victoria

• Increasing the uptake of zero-emissions vehicles is key to reducing pollution from the transportation sector. This panel explores the federal government’s work to ensure 60 per cent of new light-duty vehicles are zero-emissions by 2030, en route to 100 per cent of new light-duty vehicles by 2035.

9:55 am Remarks

• The Honourable Gavin Newsom, Governor of California (video)

10:10 am Keynote: Geoffrey R. Pyatt, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources

• Introduction by Peter Nicholson, Chair, Canadian Climate Institute
• Geoffrey R. Pyatt, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources
• Interviewed by Sean Speer, Editor at Large, The Hub

10:40 am Ministers’ discussion

• Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada
• Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources
• moderated by Catherine Abreu, NZAB

11:30 am Panel 2: Greening Canada’s Buildings

• Introduction by Philippe Adam, President and CEO, Pomerleau
• Moderator: Kate Harland, Climate Institute
  Speakers: Bryan Flannigan, Building Decarbonization Alliance

                          Raegan Bond, Dunsky

                          Monica Gattinger, Institute for Science, Society and Policy

                          James Jenkins, Indigenous Clean Energy

• Climate pollution from the building sector is increasing, putting Canada at risk of missing its 2030 emissions reduction target. This panel discusses the use of policies such as the Green Building Strategy to address these rising emissions while also making new and renovated buildings more resilient to extreme weather events.

1:05 pm Video Greetings

• Crispian Olver, Executive Director, Presidential Climate Commission, South Africa
• Premier of B.C. David Eby

1:10 pm Keynote: Corinne Le Quéré, Chair, France High Council on Climate

• Introduction by Frank Marchetti, Minister-Counsellor
• Corinne Le Quéré in conversation with Éric-Pierre Champagne, La Presse

1:45 pm Panel 3: Policies for a Bigger, Cleaner, Smarter Electricity System

• Introduction by Jonathan Price, CEO, Teck
• Moderator: Sachi Gibson, Climate Institute
  Speakers: Mark Jaccard, BC Utilities Commission

                          Francis Bradley, Electricity Canada

                          Laura Arnold, VP, External Affairs, Sustainability and Market Policy,                           TransAlta

                          Moe Kabbara, Transition Accelerator

• The “big switch” from fossil fuels to clean electricity is the backbone of Canada’s clean energy transition, and will require coordinated actions from all orders of government. This panel looks at how policies and regulations can decarbonize, expand, and modernize the grid to provide clean, affordable, and reliable electricity to all Canadians.

2:35 pm Panel 4: Improving Output-Based Pricing Systems in Canada

• Introduction by Catherine Cobden, President & CEO, CSPA
• Moderator: Dale Beugin, Climate Institute
  Speakers: Sarah Petrevan, Cement Association

                           Caroline Brouillette, CAN-Rac

                           Michael Bernstein, Clean Prosperity

• Output-Based Pricing Systems (OBPS) create incentives for industrial emitters to reduce emissions while protecting their international competitiveness. Several provinces have their own systems; the federal backstop applies in others. This panel will discuss changes that could be made to improve the OBPS’s impact and drive emissions reductions in sectors like electricity,  steel, and cement.

3:45 pm Panel 5: Implementing the National Adaptation Strategy

• Introduction by Mandy Gull-Masty, Grand Chief, Cree Nation of Eeyou Istchee
• Moderator: Sarah Miller, Canadian Climate Institute
  Speakers: Celyeste Power, Insurance Bureau of Canada

                          Erin Myers, Métis National Council

                          Caroline Larrivée, Ouranos

• The summer of 2023 was marked not just by unprecedented wildfires, floods, droughts, and other extreme weather events all across Canada, but also by the publication of Canada’s first National Adaptation Strategy. Senior governments have historically undervalued and underinvested in climate change adaptation but with the National Adaptation Strategy the federal government has now spotlighted adaptation as a critical national priority on which it must play a leadership role. This panel discusses what needs to happen now to ensure the strategy delivers on protecting Canadians from the increasingly severe impacts of climate change.

4:35 pm Panel 6: Capping Oil and Gas Emissions

• Moderator: Dan Wicklum, NZAB
  Speakers: Mark Cameron, Pathways Alliance

                          Chris Severson-Baker, Pembina

                          Sara Hastings-Simon, University of Calgary

• Scientists are clear that to avoid the worst consequences of climate change we need to attain net zero emissions by 2050 and follow a steady emissions reduction trajectory between now and 2050. This is a key reason countries must set interim reduction targets like Canada’s 2030 target. This session explores the emissions performance of the domestic oil and gas sector as it relates to global peers, in the context of meeting Canada’s 2030 target, the upcoming regulatory cap on oil and gas emissions, and future Canadian competitiveness.

5:20 pm Closing Remarks

• Elder Verna McGregor

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