Environment Committee on Dec. 2nd, 2020

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

I call the meeting to order.

Good afternoon to the members of the committee and our witnesses for today.

I think we all know more or less the rules for how the committee proceeds. Both languages, of course, can be used at any time. When you're not speaking, we would appreciate if you could put your Zoom on mute.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

You have the floor, Mr. Godin.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

My colleague Monique Pauzé of the Bloc Québécois and I have asked the clerk to send you a note about a document sent to committee members. Unfortunately, it was a link to a document circulating on the web that is in English only.

I'd like to see steps taken to ensure that all correspondence to members of the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development is in both English and French. I would like people to ensure that documents are not submitted in only one language. Otherwise, the documents will not be in order. Neither language group should have an advantage or be at a disadvantage.

That's why I would like to see steps taken to prohibit distribution of these documents before they are fully translated. Otherwise, witnesses and organizations should be advised that they should not provide documents in only one official language.

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

If I understood correctly, a brief or a document contains a link to a website, and this page on the website is in one language only. Is that correct?

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Actually, it's a link to the website of the Pembina Institute, whose representatives appeared before the committee. The site has links to documents in English only. As francophone parliamentarians, we feel we are at a disadvantage since we do not have access to the same information as our anglophone colleagues.

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

In such cases, should the document simply be included without the link?

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Actually, no, the information should not be sent.

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Should we refuse to accept the entire document?

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Yes.

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

I agree. That's to be expected.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

What concerns me, Mr. Chair, is a document made available by the committee could give access to documents in English only or, because it goes both ways, in French only.

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

If the link included in the document leads to a web page in one of the two official languages only, we must refuse to accept the entire document.

[Monique Pauzé, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Yes, that's it.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Thank you for raising this important point.

We're studying the estimates, and we have with us today the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Environment and Climate Change.

Welcome, Minister. It's nice to see you again, virtually. I can't remember when the last time was that I saw you in person, but it's good to see you virtually today.

We have, from the Department of the Environment, Christine Hogan, deputy minister. We also have Carol Najm, assistant deputy minister, corporate services and finance branch, and Ron Hallman, president and chief executive officer of the Parks Canada Agency.

We'll start with the minister. Please go ahead, Minister.

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair and members of the committee. I'm certainly happy to be with you once again to discuss the 2020-21 supplementary estimates (B) for Environment and Climate Change Canada and the Parks Canada Agency.

I would like to start by recognizing that this meeting, or at least where I am situated, is taking place on the traditional territory of the Algonquin people.

Mr. Chair, last month, when we reviewed the 2020-21 main estimates, I spoke about the essential work that Environment and Climate Change Canada and the Parks Canada Agency perform for Canadians. Since then there have been significant developments, with the introduction of the Canada net zero emissions accountability act, a central element of this government's strategy to achieve a durable post-pandemic economic recovery and long-term prosperity in a low-carbon world.

On November 30 the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance tabled the fall economic statement, which puts climate action at the centre of our plan to create a million jobs and make substantial investments in nature and nature-based climate solutions, including the government's plan to plant two billion trees.

A resilient economy is not just a more inclusive economy, but also one that is sustainable, competitive and responsive to global demand. We are investing in meaningful climate measures. We know that failure to do so will only increase the costs and the risks of climate change to all Canadians.

The COVID-19 pandemic has reminded us all of the importance of early, sustained action to address systemic risks that threaten our daily lives. The supplementary estimates (B) allow us to continue delivering on important programs, initiatives and regulations that protect the health, safety and security of Canadians, our economy and our environment.

The Environment and Climate Change Canada supplementary estimates (B) amount to a net increase of $5.2 million, bringing the department's total authorities to $2,028,800,000. These funds support significant priorities, such as implementing the pan-Canadian framework and meeting our commitments under the Paris Agreement. They include an internal reallocation within the low-carbon economy fund contributions of half a million dollars. This reallocation is necessary as provincial and territorial delays in submitting their proposals led to delays in accessing funding notionally allocated to them. This, in turn, impacted their ability to initiate approved programs, lowering their capacity to spend the anticipated funding.

There is a transfer of $3.4 million in grants and contributions to the Department of Natural Resources to support the Forests Ontario 50-million-tree program, advancing nature-based climate solutions. This funding will also help us to protect Canada's nature, parks and wild spaces through the Canada Nature fund, with a carry-over of funding from 2019-20 that will increase its contributions by $1.3 million. It will help improve the ecological integrity of the Great Lakes ecosystem, with a transfer of $1 million to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. In addition, the supplementary estimates will also support the implementation of the Canada-wide strategy on zero plastic waste, through a transfer of $5.3 million in grants and contributions to the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and the Department of Crown-Indigenous Affairs to help to develop plastics science.

Now let's turn to Parks Canada.

This spring, Parks Canada temporarily suspended visitor access and some services in an effort to support Canada's efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19. This temporary suspension led to a significant shortfall in revenue for the agency for the 2020 visitor season.

Through the supplementary estimates (B) 2020-21, the agency is seeking to increase its reference levels in the amount of almost $84 million.

The majority of this amount of money, $74 million, will be used to partially compensate the agency for the unexpected revenue shortfall due to the decline in visitation from April 1 to September 30, as well as for the remission of a portion of the annual payments on non-residential leases and licences of occupation to businesses located in sites administered by Parks Canada. The supplementaries will also support Parks Canada's collaborative effort with NRCan by providing $2.2 million in funding to mitigate the impacts of the mountain pine beetle infestation in the Rocky Mountain national parks in Alberta.

This funding also includes $7 million that is being moved from last year to this year to protect Canada's nature, parks and wild spaces in support of the impact benefit agreement with the Dehcho First Nations and the establishment of the Nahanni National Park Reserve.

Finally, there are transfers of $0.6 million from other government departments in relation to environmental and climate change activities.

Mr. Chair, I'm going to stop there. I hope this summary provides committee members with an overview of the 2020-21 supplementary estimates (B).

I'm certainly happy to engage with you in terms of questions and ideas that you may have.

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Thank you, Minister.

We'll go right into the round of questioning. We'll start with the six-minute round, starting with Mr. Albas.

[Dan Albas, Conservative, Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, BC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Minister, thank you for our service to our great country.

Minister, your party made a promise to plant two billion trees. I and many others assumed these were in addition to the trees already being planted in Canada, yet in your economic statement, you now say you won't actually be doing this; instead, you will be actually paying others to do the planting.

Is your actual plan just to put the taxpayer on the hook for trees that were already going to be planted by industry?

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, North Vancouver, BC]

Thank you, Mr. Albas. I appreciate your question.

No, these are two billion trees that will be planted incremental to anything that was already being planned to be planted, but certainly we will be working with partners, provinces and territories, indigenous peoples and others to ensure that the planting gets done in an expedited way.

[Dan Albas, Conservative, Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, BC]

Minister, provinces already have planting programs, and those are done largely through rules that force forestry companies to replant areas that they harvest.

Can you 100% confirm to us here today that every tree you intend to plant is not one that would already have been done without your program?

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, North Vancouver, BC]

The focus is absolutely on incremental trees that are focused largely in areas that are not subject to harvesting for the purpose of economic growth. The focus very much is on trying to ensure that we are using these trees to reforest parts of Canada that have been deforested for a whole range of reasons, including forest fires, mountain pine beetle and a range of other activities.

The focus is very much on the incremental planting of trees.

[Dan Albas, Conservative, Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, BC]

Minister, Beth MacNeil, who is the assistant deputy minister to the Canadian Forest Service, stated in regards to the promise to plant two billion trees:

It is above the requirement and above the numbers that companies and provinces already are committed to planting. When I say “incremental”, that means we're not paying for what they already have to do by the law in Canada under the regulatory regimes in the provinces.

Minister, is this quote correct?

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, North Vancouver, BC]

As I said, Mr. Albas, the focus is definitely on the incremental planting of trees. It is not to provide a subsidy to forest products companies to do things that they already need to do.

This is a nature-based agenda that is focused on sequestering carbon. It is also focused on enhancing biodiversity, and I think both you and I would agree that it should be focused on incremental trees.

[Dan Albas, Conservative, Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, BC]

Okay, so are you confirming that the two billion number for planting trees is on top of tree-planting programs that are already in place? Is that 100% correct?