This submission lays out Clean Energy Canada’s recommendations in response to the pre-budget consultations ahead of the 2022 Federal Budget.
Canadaʼs ambition to build a clean economy is a defining opportunity for our generation—an opportunity made even more poignant by our experience with the COVID-19 pandemic. Canada has many advantages to harness, and Clean Energy Canada believes that a sound economic recovery plan must prioritize climate action to place the country on a trajectory toward a resilient recovery—one that results in lower carbon pollution, enhances global competitiveness, creates sustainable jobs, supports reconciliation with First Nations, and leads to more affordable lives for Canadians.
We are starting from a position of strength. As our closest trading partners and many of the worldʼs largest companies and investors demand cleaner goods, Canadaʼs mineral resource wealth, clean electricity grid, and low-carbon products give it a competitive advantage. The country now also has a strengthened climate plan, A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy, which, combined with measures in Budget 2021, significantly closes the gap between climate ambition and climate action.
The focus of Budget 2022 should be to build on that solid foundation and increase the pace and scale of action to enable Canada to leverage its strengths and capture promising clean energy opportunities at home and abroad. Doing so will improve energy security and affordability for Canadians while creating secure, lasting jobs in industries that will thrive well into the future.
