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.
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