The House of Commons Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development (the Committee) studied Clean Growth and Climate Change in Canada: Forestry, Agriculture and Waste over six meetings beginning on 22 November 2018.

The Committee recommends further federal support to accelerate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions from Canada’s forestry, agriculture, and waste sectors. The potential for these sectors to further reduce emissions and to increase carbon storage holds promise for addressing climate change, and the Committee commends these sectors for their initiatives to reduce emissions. The Committee recommends that the federal government cooperate with provinces, territories, and interested governments to build on these successes, and to support the forestry, agriculture, and waste sectors in helping Canada address climate change.

The report notes that the forestry sector should be supported to increase long-term carbon storage in wood and to make better use of forestry residues. It notes that agriculture should be supported to further adopt best management practices that increase carbon storage within soils and technologies that reduce on-farm GHG emissions. Organics diversion, landfill gas capture, and greater waste reuse and recycling should be supported within the waste sector.

The Committee agrees with the many witnesses who recommended that the Government of Canada continue to fund research in order to unlock the full potential of the forestry, agriculture, and waste sectors to decrease GHGs. The report concludes that bioproducts provide an exciting opportunity to realize Canada’s potential to make more efficient use of forestry and agriculture residues and to reduce emissions. By supporting the bioproduct and biofuel sectors, Canadian enterprises and technologies can be further developed while Canada reduces its GHG emissions.