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ENVI Committee Meeting

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Minutes of Proceedings

44th Parliament, 1st Session
Meeting 101
Thursday, March 21, 2024, 3:19 p.m. to 5:16 p.m.
Webcast
Presiding
Francis Scarpaleggia, Chair (Liberal)

Library of Parliament
• Alison Clegg, Analyst
• Sarah Yakobowski, Analyst
As an individual
• Mandy Olsgard, Senior Toxicologist and Risk Assessor
• Sébastien Sauvé, Full Professor
• Frederick J. Wrona, Professor, Svare Research Chair, Integrated Watershed Processes
Canadian Cattle Association
• Ryan Beierbach, Chair, Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef
• Duane Thompson, Co-Chair, Environment Committee
Environmental Defence Canada
• Cassie Barker, Senior Program Manager, Toxics
Kebaowek First Nation
• Lance Haymond
Office of the Auditor General
• Jerry V. DeMarco, Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development
• Milan Duvnjak, Principal
• James McKenzie, Principal
Western Copper and Gold
• Paul West-Sells, President and Chief Executive Officer
• Shena Shaw, Vice-President, Environmental and Community Affairs
Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2) and the motion adopted by the committee on Tuesday, April 26, 2022, the committee resumed its study of freshwater.

Sébastien Sauvé, Cassie Barker, Jerry V. DeMarco and Paul West-Sells made statements and answered questions.

On motion of Dan Mazier, it was agreed, — That the committee resume consideration of the motion proposed on Tuesday, March 19, 2024 which read as follows:

Given that:

  1. The committee unanimously passed a motion on November 30, 2023, to “request the production of Environment and Climate Change Canada’s complete analysis including all economic modelling,” on the government’s emission reduction projections;
  2. Environment and Climate Change Canada did not provide the complete analysis of the government’s emission reduction projections, including all economic modelling;
  3. Canada’s Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development has stated that: “The federal government is not on track to meet the 2030 target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” directly contradicting the statements made by the Minister of Environment and the Government of Canada;
  4. The Minister of Environment confirmed in Q-1988 that: “the Government used Environment and Climate Change Canada’s provincial-territorial computable general equilibrium model – EC-Pro” to project emission reductions; and
  5. The Minister of Environment stated in Q-1988 that: “EC-Pro simulates the response of the main economic sectors in each province and territory (PT), and their interactions with each other, including interprovincial trade. It captures characteristics of each PT’s production and consumption patterns through a detailed input-output table, and links PTs via bilateral trade. Each PT is explicitly represented as a region and the rest of the world is represented as import and export flows to PTs, which are assumed to be price takers in international markets. To support analysis of energy and climate policies, the model incorporates information on energy use and greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) related to the combustion of fossil fuels. It also tracks non energy related GHG emissions.”

The committee order the production of “Environment and Climate Change Canada’s provincial-territorial computable general equilibrium model – EC-Pro” including (i) the “statistical technique to isolate the carbon pricing contribution”, (ii) a list of all “Ref” parameters including the ‘Ref22” and “Ref22A” parameters used in EC-Pro, (iii) the EC-Pro model that projected that “carbon pollution pricing will contribute as much as one third of Canada’s emission reductions” including all (i) parameters, (ii) economic modelling, and (iii) assumptions; and that these documents be provided to the committee within one week of the adoption of the motion.

After debate, the question was put on the motion and it was agreed to on division.

Questioning of the witnesses resumed.

At 4:23 p.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 4:26 p.m., the sitting resumed.

Mandy Olsgard, Frederick J. Wrona, Duane Thompson, Lance Haymond made statements and, with Ryan Beierbach, answered questions.

At 5:16 p.m., the committee adjourned to the call of the Chair.



Natalie Jeanneault
Clerk of the committee