As Canada and U.S. climate goals now align, Canada has new opportunities to develop a complementary path to net-zero

(OTTAWA) – April 22, 2021 – The Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s Senior Director of Natural Resources & Sustainable Growth, Dr. Aaron Henry, issued the following statement regarding today’s emissions target update and Leaders Summit on Climate:

“Close collaboration between Canada and the United States on climate action is essential to both countries making meaningful progress towards their ambitious climate goals, especially in light of the announcement that Canada has enhanced its emissions reduction target by 40-45% below 2005 levels by 2030.

We have long recognized the crucial role that government plays in creating policy certainty to focus the ambitions of the business community. We should not mince words. This enhanced 2030 target will require businesses and individuals to reach further and dig deeper. Success will depend on how closely government and business work together. Good climate policy starts and ends with certainty for all actors, and we must make sure our ambitions are lockstep with a clear and consistent policy environment for Canadians.

To extend the benefits of these policies on an even larger scale, alignment between the U.S. and Canada will be critical, especially ahead of COP 26, and it is a priority for the Canadian Chamber’s Canada-U.S. Council. This will ensure larger mutual strides towards our respective climate goals and facilitate important longer-term initiatives, such as strengthening domestic supply chains for clean technologies and making sure that businesses can attract sustainable finance from global markets.

As a resource-producing nation that makes more than it consumes, our path to a net-zero future must be different than those of other countries. Canada’s shared goals and relationship with the U.S. provides the opportunity for policy and supply chain integration that allows us to play to our countries’ mutual strengths. We are very pleased to see the U.S. return to international climate conversations, and we hope that this special relationship remains a powerful asset both countries can count on as we move towards a net-zero future.”