Today, Robert J. Morrissey, Member of Parliament, Egmont, Prince Edward Island, on behalf of the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, and the Honourable Barb Ramsay, Minister of Social Development and Seniors on behalf of The Honourable Steven Myers, Minister of Environment, Energy and Climate Action announced a joint investment of over $3 million over four years through the Fighting and Managing Wildfires in a Changing Climate Program — Equipment Fund (FMWCC). The funding will help the province procure and increase wildland fire equipment and personnel, support resource exchanges and unlock community-based capacity.
The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, along with Ebba Busch, Sweden’s Minister for Energy, Business and Industry and Deputy Prime Minister, announced that Sweden has joined the Sustainable Critical Minerals Alliance (SCMA), comprising of Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. Under Canada’s leadership, the SCMA was created in December 2022 to drive the global uptake of responsible critical minerals supply chains and environmentally sustainable, socially inclusive and responsible mining, processing and recycling practices. The Alliance aligns with the G7 2030 Nature Compact commitment to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030 through a globally wide system change to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) with a focus on sustainable and inclusive development.
The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, announced four projects in the Kitchener-Waterloo region that will support community sustainability through investments in more efficient and affordable energy systems and greener transportation options.
The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, and the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of National Revenue, announced the passing into law of the first four Clean Economy Investment Tax Credits: the Clean Technology ITC, the Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS) ITC, the Clean Technology Manufacturing ITC, and the Clean Hydrogen ITC.
Bill C-50, the Canadian Sustainable Jobs Act, received Royal Assent. This legislation will foster the creation of sustainable jobs, support industries and communities in every region across Canada, and help the workforce gain the necessary skills, training and tools to fill these new job opportunities. This is a historic step toward ensuring that Canadian workers are at the centre of Canada's Sustainable Jobs Actions Plans, as global investment flows toward low-carbon economic opportunities in Canadian industries.
The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, welcomed the release of Powering Canada: A Blueprint for Success, the final report from the Canada Electricity Advisory Council. The report lays out the Council’s findings and provides 28 recommendations to inform future Government of Canada policy initiatives.
The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, announced that the Critical Minerals List has been reviewed and updated following substantial consultations to focus our efforts in developing robust critical minerals value chains. To determine which minerals are considered critical, Canada released its first Critical Minerals List in March 2021 with a commitment to review the minerals identified as critical every three years. The list guides federal policy and programs and signals government areas of priority to stakeholders. Public consultations took place with provincial and territorial governments, other government departments, industry, Indigenous groups and other interested or affected stakeholders.
The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, announced two investments of $5 million each to the Mining Innovation Rehabilitation and Applied Research Corp (MIRARCO) and Electra Battery Materials Corporation (Electra) to support the critical minerals sector in Canada, and in Northern Ontario specifically. These projects join nearly 130 mining projects under construction or planned over the next 10 years in Canada, representing a combined value of $93.5 billion, according to Natural Resources Canada’s Major Projects Inventory.
The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, along with Marc Serré, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources and Member of Parliament for the Nickel Belt, and Viviane Lapointe, Member of Parliament for Sudbury, announced two investments through the 2 Billion Trees program. The first is an amount of $200,000 to the City of Greater Sudbury to plant 200,000 trees by 2027 and the second is an amount of $300,000 to the Canadian Tree Nursery Association (CTNA) to increase skilled labour in the tree nursery sector.
Michael Vandergrift, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources Canada, on behalf of the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, announced the winners of the 2024 ENERGY STAR Canada Awards and congratulated them for their remarkable contributions in promoting the most energy-efficient products, homes and buildings — enabling Canadians to reduce their energy consumption and take action on climate change.