OTTAWA, ON , June 15, 2023 /CNW/ - Canada is extremely well positioned to take advantage of the economic opportunities presented by the global race to net zero. It's up to us as a country to make the smartest possible choices to ensure prosperity for Canadians and a healthy planet for future generations.
For seven years, the Government of Canada has been working on strategies, investing and improving regulations to help Canada become the clean energy and technology supplier of choice in a net-zero world. This plan features partnership with provinces and territories, including via the Regional Energy and Resource Tables. It also includes the February 2023 release of the Interim Sustainable Jobs Plan, which spoke to the work to be done to seize the economic opportunities that will be enabled through a move to a low-carbon future.
Today, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources, advanced one of the 10 key action areas outlined in the plan by introducing a bill entitled "An Act respecting accountability, transparency and engagement to support the creation of sustainable jobs for workers and economic growth in a net-zero economy" (Canadian Sustainable Jobs Act).
The Canadian Sustainable Jobs Act includes several measures, all of which were outlined in the Interim Sustainable Jobs Plan earlier this year. The legislation will put workers and communities at the centre of policy and decision-making by establishing a federal framework for accountability, a governance structure and engagement mechanisms — all guided by the principles of equity, fairness and inclusion. These include:
The Act will hold future governments to account with respect to supporting Canada's workers in a strong Canadian economy for generations to come. Similar to the Net-Zero Accountability Act, it will put into place structures, guidelines and accountability mechanisms to help Canadians judge the performance of this and future governments in this space.
Both the Interim Plan and the new legislation have been informed by more than two years of consultations and conversations with provinces and territories, Indigenous Peoples, workers and unions, industry, environmental and civil society organizations and interested Canadians. The approach builds on over $120 billion in federal investments earmarked since 2016 to build a clean economy, as well as over $1.5 billion in historic investments for skills programming, including sustainable jobs.
The Government of Canada will continue collaboration efforts with key partners and stakeholders, and eventually with the Partnership Council, to develop a 2025 Sustainable Jobs Action Plan and ensure Canadians in every region have access to good, sustainable jobs.
" Canada is executing its plan to become the clean energy and technology supplier of choice in a net-zero world. With this legislation, the federal government is taking yet another step forward to ensure that Canada's workers have the skills and support necessary to seize this generational opportunity."
The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson
Minister of Natural Resources
"Workers will lead our energy transition. It's workers who know how to build up renewables and lower emissions. We need them. We need more of them."
The Honourable Seamus O'Regan Jr.
Minister of Labour
"The Canadian Sustainable Jobs Act is a step toward a future that puts the interests of energy workers at the forefront of a low-carbon economy. We look forward to continuing to work with the government to ensure that workers benefit from the opportunities created through this legislation."
Patrick Campbell
Canadian Director, International Union of Operating Engineers
"The proposed Canadian Sustainable Jobs Act is the latest milestone in ongoing efforts to protect workers as the economy transitions to net zero. Unifor is ready to provide the federal government with the guidance necessary to ensure this legislation works for workers."
Lana Payne
Unifor National President
"With the Canadian Sustainable Jobs Act, which resulted from the Supply and Confidence Agreement, we have an opportunity to establish a better model for collaboration between workers, their unions, industry and governments. This can give Canada a competitive advantage in the new global low-carbon economy, while ensuring benefits for workers and communities."
Bea Bruske
President, Canadian Labour Congress
"Through this legislation, the Government of Canada has demonstrated its commitment to protecting good-paying, highly skilled jobs. The Canadian Sustainable Jobs Act, established through the Confidence and Supply Agreement, supports our calls for unions, industry and governments to be working together to ensure that workers are the focus and a blueprint is established to create good-paying jobs in a net-zero economy. The IBEW's almost 70,000 members in Canada are ready to help build the next generation of Canada's vital energy infrastructure to help us reach our net-zero goals."
Russ Shewchuk
IBEW International Vice President for the First District ( Canada )
" Canada's Building Trades Unions welcome the Canadian Sustainable Jobs Act, tabled today in the House of Commons. We have, and will continue to work closely with the government on this important legislation because workers must be at the forefront of the transition to net zero, one of the greatest economic transformations of our time. One needs to only look back to the passing of the Canada-U.S. free trade agreement in 1987 as an example of the devastating impacts major policy initiatives can have on workers. Lack of meaningful consultation resulted in a large decline of the workforce and a loss of good jobs with many workers never returning to the same quality of job that had been lost. That is why Canada's Building Trades Unions are pleased that this government is conducting meaningful consultation with labour on the transition to net zero, through the Sustainable Partnership Council included in today's legislation, to ensure workers are front and centre during this transition."
Sean Strickland
Executive Director of Canada's Building Trades Unions.
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Backgrounder: Canadian Sustainable Jobs ActA net-zero emissions economy represents significant opportunities for Canadians — to secure and create good, well-paying jobs, to grow our industries and to lead the world with the resources and technologies it will need for generations to come. With highly skilled and dedicated workers, abundant natural resources and energy sources critical for a net-zero future, and a thriving clean technology industry, Canada is uniquely positioned to seize the moment.
These opportunities exist in every part of the country and in every sector of our economy. From critical minerals to hydrogen, electric cars and buses, batteries, renewable energy, low-carbon building products, carbon management technologies and small modular reactors — Canada is building a net-zero economy that works for everyone. Clean Energy Canada anticipates that jobs in the clean energy sector in Canada will grow by 3.4 percent annually to 2030 — nearly four times faster than the Canadian average.
According to the International Energy Agency's (IEA) net-zero emissions by 2050 scenario (NZE), the shift to a low-carbon economy could create almost 40 million new jobs in clean energy by 2030.
In 2019, the government committed to introduce legislation to support workers and communities while unlocking economic opportunities. In February 2023 , the Government of Canada released an interim Sustainable Jobs Plan for 2023– 2025, which reiterated this commitment and outlined the government's approach to building a more prosperous future for all Canadians. This plan outlined 10 concrete actions, including the commitment to introduce legislation.
Today, Minister Wilkinson delivered on this legislative commitment by introducing the Canadian Sustainable Jobs Act, which will facilitate and promote the creation of sustainable jobs and support workers and communities in Canada in line as the world advances toward a net-zero future. The bill will put workers and communities at the centre of federal policy and decision-making by establishing a framework for accountability, a governance structure and engagement mechanisms to guide effective federal action.
The bill is one of the 10 action areas outlined in the interim Sustainable Jobs Plan. The Government of Canada's plan features partnership with provinces and territories, including via the Regional Energy and Resource Tables.
In 2022, the government launched the Regional Energy and Resource Tables (Regional Tables) to establish partnerships with each province and territory, as well as formal collaboration with Indigenous partners, labour and industry to identify, prioritize and pursue opportunities for sustainable job creation and economic growth in Canada's energy, resource and resource-enabled sectors through the development of regional plans. The Regional Tables involve dialogue with workers, their unions and labour organizations and other partners including industry, and with other key groups and communities across the country, and it will also identify the skills required to realize growth opportunities across each region of the country.
These tables are a key part of identifying and pursuing the key economic opportunities across Canada , which will enable the creation of sustainable jobs.
Sustainable Jobs Interim Action Plan:
The interim Sustainable Jobs Plan outlined federal measures across 10 key action areas:
The Government of Canada's approach to supporting the creation of sustainable jobs includes this legislation and builds on multiple broader actions to ensure Canadians will have access to well-paying, high-quality jobs as we grow a strong, inclusive net-zero and climate-resilient economy.
Subject to Parliamentary consideration , this bill would:
This legislation is the product of a comprehensive consultation process that took place over years with other orders of government alongside key labour, industry and Indigenous partners, stakeholders and the Canadian public. It also took into consideration the recommendations of the Task Force on Just Transition for Canadian Coal Power Workers and Communities and a report of the Commissioner of Environment and Sustainable Development to bring forward legislation to establish a plan and governance and accountability mechanisms that will ensure the government is better positioned to support workers and communities.
Related Investments and Climate Actions to Date
The 2022 Fall Economic Statement included $250 million over five years, starting in 2023 –24, for Employment and Social Development Canada to help ensure Canadian workers can thrive in a changing global economy.
Specific measures included support for 1. The Sustainable Jobs Training Centre, 2. A new sustainable jobs stream under the Union Training and Innovation Program and 3. The Sustainable Jobs Secretariat. Further details are available in the FES 2022 .
The 2022 Fall Economic Statement also provided $60 million over three years, starting in 2023 –24, to create new supplemental supports to existing federal and provincial or territorial programming.
This is in addition to investments across the Canadian economy to support workers across sectors. Workers, families and communities have consistently been at the heart of Canada's climate policy through programs including historic public transit funding, investments in electric vehicle infrastructure, hydrogen development, carbon management technology deployment and green buildings.
These investments include those from Budget 2023. Canada is investing a historic $40 billion in clean electricity while deploying credits to enable job-creating generational investments in clean technology ranging from clean energy production, hydrogen and carbon management, and manufacturing. These ambitious and essential measures are linked to good prevailing wages to ensure the creation of middle-class jobs for generations ahead. Recognizing the importance of helping Canadians access the job training they want, the government has made historic investments in skills programming, including for sustainable jobs. Access to these opportunities for young people, people with disabilities and people from historically marginalized communities is paramount to improving equity and diversity, ensuring inclusive prosperity.
Using key levers at the federal level, the Government of Canada is taking action to accelerate the growth of sustainable jobs. Through a series of national climate plans — including the 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan, the first under the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act — Canada has earmarked over $120 billion to climate action and environmental protection since 2016.
The Government of Canada will continue collaboration efforts with key partners and stakeholders and eventually, with the Partnership Council, to develop a 2025 Sustainable Jobs Action Plan and ensure Canadians in every region have access to good, sustainable jobs.
SOURCE Natural Resources Canada
Natural Resources Canada, Media Relations, 343-292-6100, [email protected]; Keean Nembhard, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Natural Resources, 613-323-7892, [email protected]
