Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
Thanks to the members for the invitation and for your service.
I have just five minutes, so I will focus on five points.
First, fiscal sustainability is a necessary condition for Canadian prosperity. Parliament has provided extraordinary support to Canadians and Canadian businesses during the pandemic, but as the crisis recedes, Parliament must avoid structural deficits driven by spending today that does not grow the economy tomorrow. This discipline is particularly important given the looming pressures on health spending as the system recovers from the pandemic.
In the medium term, any fiscal deficit should reflect investments in human, digital, sustainable and natural capital that boost the long-term productive capacity of the economy. To help ensure that the government directs federal spending to the highest returns, capital investments should be subject to independent assessments of their long-term payback by the parliamentary budget office.
Second, Canada should make maximum use of non-fiscal policy levers including effective regulation, active competition policy, measures to promote a sustainable financial system and trade policy that benefit our small and medium-sized businesses and services sector. As U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and I have outlined, credible and predictable regulatory policies that frame the future direction of the economy—such as explicit timetables to phase out internal combustion engines and mandates for increasing hydrogen usage—will pull forward and amplify private investment.
In this regard, policy frameworks with clear objectives and measurable outcomes are essential. Many of the building blocks for the net-zero transition are coming into place. The 2050 objective is being enshrined in law. The new 40% to 45% reduction target by 2030 provides a medium-term anchor. A legislated carbon price will help smooth adjustment. To provide greater clarity for the additional policy measures required, the new net-zero advisory body that's proposed should publish annual objective assessments of the adequacy of policies and policy options to close any gaps.
Third, it's time for a Canadian digital strategy that defines the foundations, capabilities and priorities of a digital economy in which all Canadians can thrive. The necessary initiatives are legion and merit separate study by this committee, but I'd stress the importance of Canadian-led low-earth orbit satellite systems that leapfrog existing high-speed technologies and bring enormous potential to create high-quality job opportunities across Canada.
More broadly, global connectivity can drive an explosion in opportunities for all Canadians in all regions in new platforms of global commerce. With an integrated trade, digital and financial strategies, Canadians in all regions can benefit from freer trade in services and for SMEs.
Fourth, we need clear pathways for a just and prosperous energy transition. In particular, eliminating three quarters of our greenhouse gas emissions from the final demand for energy requires a clean electricity grid by 2035 and at least a doubling of clean electricity generation as the energy source for transportation, residential and commercial property, technology, and industry. To these ends, the federal government should work with the provinces on complementary initiatives, including federal support for new grid interties for domestic resilience and international exports.
More broadly, the scale of the energy transition and the imperatives of regional solidarity support the reinvestment of proceeds from the energies of today into the energies of the future, including blue hydrogen, green hydrogen and small nuclear reactors, as well as essential supporting technologies such as CCUS, DACCS, and battery storage. The development of both the Canadian energy industry and the jobs of the future can be accelerated by refundable investment tax credits for a wide range of emerging low-emission technologies—including but not limited to CCUS and green hydrogen—and contracts for differences that promote demand for hydrogen, as well as targeted regulatory mandates, including for zero-emission vehicles and fuels.
Fifth, it's imperative to build a new financial system to enable the transition to net zero and ensure greater inclusion, better service and wider opportunities for Canadians. The objective of the COP26 private finance strategy is to put in place the information, tools and markets so that every financial decision takes climate change into account. The essential building blocks include mandatory risk disclosure based on the TCFD, net-zero plans of our major financial institutions consistent with GFANZ, methodologies to align financing portfolios with the net-zero transition, and major new markets for blended finance and carbon offsets. Particular markets for nature-based solutions can complement absolute emissions reductions while providing major opportunities for indigenous Canadians.
I'll refer you to the supporting documents. Thank you for this opportunity.