Environment Committee on May 12th, 2021

[Monique Pauzé, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Given that this is my last opportunity to speak. I will use it to thank all the witnesses for joining us and for answering our questions.

My question is for the officials from Environment and Climate Change Canada.

The department has set itself the objective to recover the populations of 60% of species at risk by 2025. However, in the 2021-2022 Departmental Plan, we see that the department is standing still. Things are not really moving forward.

Is the government looking at changing the way it supports the recovery of species at risk?

Is its approach to the target compatible with achieving it?

[Christine Hogan]

Thank you. I will ask Ms. Shannon to answer your question.

[Tara Shannon]

Thank you, Deputy Minister.

To that I would say that the recovery for species at risk takes some time. Once recovery measures are put in place, we are able to measure those results.

In terms of approach, I would highlight that since 2018, in co-operation and coordination with the provinces and territories, we've moved from a single species approach to a more of a multi-species ecosystem approach. That is key to the understanding of species and their role within the biodiversity areas in which they live.

I understand the question, but the response at this time is that we think it's a bit too soon to say we aren't able to meet the target.

[Monique Pauzé, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

I understand that it is not simple.

So let me ask the people from Parks Canada a question about the 2 billion trees. Planting them is a major part of Canada's strengthened climate plan. Now we are told that the Department of the Environment is going to play a role supporting the Department of Natural Resources in carrying out the plan.

How will the Department of the Environment help the Department of Natural Resources to achieve that objective.

Finally, let me ask you how many trees have been planted to date, wink, wink.

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Could I ask you to answer the question quickly?

[Ron Hallman]

I think I heard you say that was for Parks. I'll do my best.

I won't speak for Natural Resources, but I will say Parks Canada very much agrees with and works with our federal partners to the end that natural climate solutions such as planting trees, restoring grasslands and wetlands, and improving land management practices can make significant contributions.

Parks is mobilizing at this time to plant 150,000 trees this summer in up to 18 parks from coast to coast to coast, including 45,000 trees in Rouge National Urban Park. A lot of what we're doing is reaching out to local community groups like 10 Thousand Trees for the Rouge and other organizations, to partner with on that and provide jobs to youth, including disadvantaged youth who may have been affected negatively by the pandemic, to help do that.

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Thanks.

Mr. Bachrach.

[Taylor Bachrach, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Perhaps I'll pick up where my colleague, Madam Pauzé, left off, talking about the two billion trees.

I appreciate, Mr. Hallman, that 150,000 trees are being planted, but we need somewhere around 220 million trees per year in order to make that target by the end of the decade.

I'm wondering a couple of things. First of all—and I understand you're working on this in collaboration with NRCan—I'm wondering where those plans are at in terms of this planting season. Here in British Columbia, tree-planting companies plant about 300 million trees per year, but it's a massive effort. I'm wondering how many trees it's estimated are going to be planted under this federal initiative this year.

Secondly, I know there are a lot of questions around the effectiveness of this tree-planting initiative as a carbon sequestration and carbon storage approach. What are the considerations that your department is ensuring are part of the program, so that we don't simply offset trees that would already be planted under a company's silviculture requirements in the forest industry, or plant trees where they don't grow properly, or plant the wrong species in the wrong places?

Can you speak to those two things: how many trees this year, and what considerations is your department bringing to the table?

[Christine Hogan]

Thank you very much. I'm happy to try to comment on the commitment around the two billion trees.

As you well know, this is a very important initiative led by Natural Resources Canada. As Minister Wilkinson made mention during his comments earlier, NRCan has gone out with expressions of interest to identify potential opportunities for this planting season. That work is well under way at Natural Resources Canada.

I can comment that Environment and Climate Change Canada, and particularly our scientists and our folks in the Canadian Wildlife Service, of course, are playing an important role because there's an objective within the tree-planting initiative focused on habitat restoration. This goes to the member's question about where trees are planted, and species. We are working with Natural Resources Canada in that regard.

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Thank you.

Mr. Redekopp.

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

Thank you.

I want to come back to Mr. Moffet on the hydrofluorocarbon, HFC, issue. If I'm understanding you correctly, what you said was that because we were under our Kigali targets, we had the room, essentially, to offer exemptions. Is that, in a nutshell, what you're saying?

[John Moffet]

I'm not saying that the decision was connected to that. I'm observing that we are below our target, and we are exceeding the performance expected by our international commitment. The decision to issue the exceptions was strictly based on a review of the criteria that are explicitly in the regulation, and whether or not each applicant met the criteria. As I explained earlier, some applicants did and some applicants did not.

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

Okay, thanks.

On that subject, we did ask the minister, but just to confirm this, we are requesting a list of all the people who were approved for an exemption under the HFC regulations. Can you provide that?

[John Moffet]

Yes. Those unlimited exemptions are public. We would be happy to provide a list.

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

Thank you.

I just want to come back again, Ms. Ryan, to Safety Power. The message I was hearing from them was that the testing regime is not going to be ready in time for when the regulations come into effect.

Is that your understanding? Am I understanding that wrong and the testing regime will be ready for these companies, so they will have a pathway forward?

[Helen Ryan]

Our regulations, which we put out in draft form and then finalized, laid out a provision for an alternative testing method. The responsibility for the testing method is on the applicant who is wishing to use something that's not provided for in the regulation. It's actually the company that needs to put forward the method that would be appropriate for its equipment. It's to provide flexibility for those that are not following the traditional approach in terms of how they are undertaking their assessments.

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

Okay.

You're saying that the testing regime is in place. It's just up to the company to use it.

[Helen Ryan]

That's correct.

Alternative test methods are provided for in the regulation. Those provisions exist. It's up to the company to put forward a proposal that lays out how they would go about testing their equipment. We would undertake an assessment to determine if that testing is equivalent. They would then be able to move forward with that.

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

Mr. Chair, I going to pass the rest of my time over to Mr. Jeneroux.

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

You have a minute and 45 seconds, Mr. Jeneroux.

[Matt Jeneroux, Conservative, Edmonton Riverbend, AB]

That's all I'll need, Mr. Chair. Thank you.

Ms. Ryan, I'll go back to the question asked about the provinces expressing their displeasure in the proposed order and proposed approach. You listed Alberta, and you said there were five.

Can you confirm with me what the four others are?

[Helen Ryan]

I'm not in a position at this moment. A summary of the comments was put out with respect to the proposed order. We received some subsequent comments. We are working collectively and collaboratively with the provinces and territories on a number of initiatives, including those laid out—

[Matt Jeneroux, Conservative, Edmonton Riverbend, AB]

Pardon me, Ms. Ryan. I know you guys do and you always will, but you listed Alberta already.

If you can't, can Ms. Hogan, being in the deputy minister position, comment on the other four?

[Christine Hogan]

I don't have that information with me at the moment.

[Matt Jeneroux, Conservative, Edmonton Riverbend, AB]

Can we get that relatively soon, seeing that this just came out and obviously we're doing our plastics study?

If there's any chance you would be able to provide that to the committee, sooner rather than later would be great.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, for indulging my question.