Thank you, Mr. Chairman and committee members, for inviting the Green Budget Coalition to speak to you today, again.
The Green Budget Coalition, active since 1999, is unique in bringing together the expertise of 22 of Canada's leading environmental organizations collectively, with over one million members, supporters and volunteers. The Green Budget Coalition's mission is to present an analysis of the most pressing issues regarding environmental sustainability in Canada and to make a consolidated, annual set of recommendations to the federal government regarding strategic fiscal and budgetary opportunities.
As the chair mentioned, I'm pleased to be joined today by three of my expert colleagues, including the coalition's current chair and past co-chair, to help answer your questions.
From the Green Budget Coalition's perspective, budget 2025 provides a prime opportunity, responsibility and imperative for the federal government to renew and strengthen action on the linked climate and biodiversity crises, while making life more affordable, reducing future costs, creating quality jobs and protecting health and safety, particularly for vulnerable communities. Fires, floods, stronger storms, extreme heat, ecological disruption, dramatic loss of wildlife populations and a rapidly warming Arctic are being felt in Canada, in the United States this week and around the world, causing widespread harm, particularly to low-income and vulnerable people, as well as huge economic costs. Science indicates that these and other impacts will intensify if climate change and ecosystem destruction remain unchecked.
At the same time, global efforts and investments to address these crises, such as the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act, are expected to create many trillions of dollars in economic benefits and help their countries be economic leaders for years to come.
In that context, for budget 2025, the Green Budget Coalition is featuring five recommendations as part of a comprehensive package of timely and ambitious budget and fiscal recommendations that will also reduce future costs and improve affordability and quality of life for people across Canada.
The first is delivering on nature commitments. Renew and expand existing funding to continue Canada's leadership on nature protection and deliver on Canada's 2030 nature strategy and the Kunming-Montreal global biodiversity framework obligations.
The second is retrofitting for resiliency and affordability. Expand and coordinate retrofit programs that integrate health, affordability and adaptation targets, and that accommodate the unique needs of low-income households and indigenous, northern and remote communities.
The third is using the sustainable agriculture strategy to cultivate success and help producers in Canada be leaders in sustainable and innovative agriculture, with a resilient and diversified food system. That helps people like the Grain Growers of Canada here.
The fourth is sustainable jobs for workers and communities. Create green job opportunities for youth, expand regional workforce development approaches, enable indigenous clean energy pathfinding and undertake labour market analysis.
The fifth is establishing a permanent, high-level office of environmental justice to ensure that environmental protection programs, policies, investments and laws account for community and population inequities.
On Sunday evening, I sent you each, by email, our more detailed recommendations for budget 2025. It's a document in English and French. This document provides updates, much more detail and many other recommendations supporting our submission to the committee, including on sustainable finance, how to raise needed money, international climate finance and biodiversity contributions, climate adaptation, electricity, electric vehicles, carbon pricing and a windfall profits tax on oil and gas companies. Our public transit piece aligns with what you heard from the Canadian Urban Transit Association just minutes ago.
Implementing these recommendations would lead to dramatic progress in advancing a healthier future for people in Canada, from coast to coast to coast.
I would like to thank you, again, for inviting the Green Budget Coalition to appear today. We look forward to your comments and questions.