Canada will keep its focus on incentives to build green jobs and reduce emissions, new environment minister Steven Guilbeault said ahead of the UN Cop 26 climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland.
Canada's carbon tax, phasing out coal-fired electricity and adoption of a Clean Fuels Standard would all support a shift away from higher-carbon industries to keep Canada competitive through the energy transition, he said during a 29 October call with reporters.
"It is certainly an environmental issue, it is a social issue, but it is becoming more and more about what will the economic development of your country look like, and what kind of opportunities will you be missing, if you refuse to do that?" Guilbeault said.
Guilbeault, who spent decades as an environmental activist before he was elected to parliament in 2019, was sworn in as environment minister last week.
He was "cautiously optimistic" about Cop 26 reaching commitments to accelerate emissions reductions.
His new role meant working with provinces that may have opposed federal policies in the past while environmental activists press him for faster progress, he said. He "was not going to rewrite history" on the government's purchase of the Trans Mountain pipeline and maintained the Liberal government's support of the continued operation of the Line 5 pipeline opposed by Michigan.
"Being a part of the government, I support my government's position," Guilbault said.
But Canada must work to cut demand for petroleum products and help regions with higher-carbon industries find new opportunities. Some of Canada's largest renewables investments were planned in oil-heavy Alberta, he said.
"We need to ensure that these regions that will be most affected by those transformation have a pathway toward job creation, toward prosperity," Guilbeault said.
