Though the Trudeau Liberals promised an “ambitious green agenda” ahead of the throne speech, the vision for the coming months unveiled Wednesday focused more on COVID-19 and its economic fallout.
The government reiterated existing climate promises and made a few new ones, including a fund meant to attract investments in clean technology. But the throne speech lacked a sweeping green vision — instead, it focused mainly on how the government will ride out the second wave of COVID-19, with the Liberals promising to create a million jobs and bolster the health-care system.
“The first foundation of the government’s approach is protecting Canadians from COVID-19,” Gov. Gen. Julie Payette said in the speech.
“This is priority number 1.”
When Prime Minister Justin Trudeau prorogued Parliament last month, he said it was an opportunity to reset the government’s priorities amid COVID-19. Later, he said the throne speech — used to outline the government’s plans — was an “opportunity to go green.”
But his government walked back that rhetoric in recent weeks as COVID-19 case numbers began to tick upwards and experts began warning a second wave of the virus is imminent.
Although one portion of the throne speech focused on climate, the vast majority of the government's plans revolved around how it will manage COVID-19 and support the economy as the pandemic rages on.
In the speech, the government renewed its promises to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, plant two billion trees, and ban single-use plastics. It also pledged more investments in clean energy, funding to retrofit homes and buildings to reduce emissions, infrastructure to lessen the damage from climate-related natural disasters such as floods and wildfires, and moves to make zero-emission vehicles more affordable.
New promises in the speech include plans to launch a fund to bring in more investment in clean technology, and to cut the corporate tax rate in half for those companies. The government also promised to “modernize” Canada’s Environmental Protection Act.
Like most throne speeches, the one delivered Wednesday did not go into details about how the government would implement its plans, or assign anything a dollar figure. The government will release a fiscal update this fall, Payette said.
But Payette said action on the environment file would be a “cornerstone” of the government’s job creation measures, and the government would “immediately bring forward” plans to meet Canada’s 2030 climate goals.
“This is where the world is going,” she said. “Global consumers and investors are demanding and rewarding climate action … Canadians also know climate change threatens our health, way of life, and planet. They want climate action now, and that is what the government will continue to deliver.”
She also reached out to extraction industries, saying the government will “support” oil and gas and other natural resource sectors as they “transform to meet a net-zero future.”
“Canada cannot reach net zero without the know-how of the energy sector, and the innovative ideas of all Canadians, including people in places like British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Newfoundland and Labrador,” Payette said.
Payette also hinted that the government will boost types of mining, saying Canadian copper and nickel are “needed” for clean technologies.
The speech from the throne also prompts a confidence vote in the House of Commons. Since the Trudeau government holds a minority of seats, it must win the support of at least one major opposition party to avoid an early election.
In response, Conservative deputy leader Candice Bergen — speaking for leader Erin O’Toole, who, along with Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet, has tested positive for the novel coronavirus — said her party would not support the speech.
Bergen said it was “full of Liberal buzzwords,” failed to deliver a “real plan to deal with the pandemic,” and did not address western alienation.
“We are very, very displeased,” she added, accusing Trudeau of trying to distract Canadians from the fallout of the WE scandal.
Trudeau is scheduled to address Canadians in a broadcast Wednesday evening, at 6:30 p.m. eastern.
