25/09/2018

As leaders from business, environmental, indigenous, social and youth organizations across Canada, we applaud today’s release of six economic sector strategies. These reports chart a bold course for strengthening Canada’s competitiveness, to help us prosper in a changing world, while building a cleaner, more innovative economy across all sectors.

Many of the tables’ recommendations – particularly in the Clean Technology and the Resources of the Future reports -- align with those in our Smart Prosperity Framework for Canada.  We draw particular attention to the following goals and proposals:

• Build agile regulatory systems that are more outcomes-driven, flexible, stringent, timely and predictable in order to attract investment, stimulate innovation, and achieve world-class environmental and economic performance.
• Boost innovation across the economy by
  • supporting innovative networks to accelerate scale-up and
    adoption of advanced technologies (clean, digital) and solve
    grand challenges (like carbon reduction),
  • targeting fiscal support for advanced technology investment (clean, digital), including tax incentives (capital cost allowance, investor credits), and matching public funds to de-risk private investment
  • leveraging procurement to drive innovation across supply chains (clean, advanced technologies)
  • building a ‘circular economy’ that boosts resource efficiency, turns waste into value-added products (like bioplastics), and sustains natural capital

• Invest in strategic infrastructure with long-term plans (resources, transport, energy, digital) to connect Canada to domestic and export markets and build a stronger, smarter, cleaner economy
• Attract and train talent for a next generation, diverse workforce, through skills hubs, future-minded programs and education, and re-skilling workers affected by the transition
• Target support for Indigenous businesses, workers and communities in all these programs
• Use an ‘own-the-podium’ approach that provides focused support in key areas to scale up Canada’s highest-potential companies
• Make Canada one of the global leaders in economic, innovation and environmental performance through these initiatives, and build that as a globally-recognized brand

We will provide further insights on these points in the near future, building on the in-depth analysis in our report on Accelerating Clean Innovation.  We encourage the government to act on these recommendations, working with businesses and communities to further strengthen Canada’s competitiveness, spur the next generation of good jobs, meet our environmental commitments, and build a better future for all Canadians.

 

Signed by the following members of the Smart Prosperity Leaders Initiative

Meredith Adler, Executive Director, Student Energy

Dominic Barton, Global Managing Director, McKinsey and Company

Ross Beaty, Pan American Silver Corp. and Equinox Gold Corp.

John Coyne, Vice President, Corporate Secretary and General Counsel, Unilever

Michael Crothers, President & Canada Country Chair, Shell Canada Limited

Arlene Dickinson, CEO, Venture Communications

Stewart Elgie*, Professor, University of Ottawa

Greg Kiessling, President, UpCapital Ltd.

John Lounds, President & CEO, Nature Conservancy of Canada

Lorraine Mitchelmore*, Chair, Resources of the Future Economic Strategy Table

Ken Neumann, Canadian National Director, United Steelworkers

Merrell-Ann Phare, Founding Executive Director, Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources

David Runnalls, Chair, Pembina Institute

Vicky Sharpe, Founding President, Sustainable Development Technology Canada

Jean Simard, President & CEO, Aluminium Association of Canada; Co-Founder, SWITCH

Marcia Smith, Senior Vice President, Sustainability and External Affairs, Teck Resources

Merran Smith, Executive Director, Clean Energy Canada

Rick Smith, Executive Director, Broadbent Institute

John Stackhouse, Senior Vice-President, Office of the CEO, RBC

Kirsten Tisdale, Managing Partner, Government and Public Sector Advisory Services, Ernst & Young

Annette Verschuren OC*, Chair and CEO, NRStor; Former President, Home Depot Canada

Rob Wesseling, President & CEO, The Co-operators

* = Co-chair, Smart Prosperity Leaders Initiative

 

Signed by the following members of the Circular Economy Leadership Coalition

John D. Coyne,** Vice President and General Counsel, Unilever Canada Inc.

Kevin Groh, Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Communication, Loblaw Companies Ltd.

David Hughes,** President & CEO of The Natural Step Canada

Rob Nicol, Vice President Corporate Affairs, Walmart Canada

Daniel Normandin, Executive Director Institut EDDEC

Heather Schoemaker, Director, National Zero Waste Council Secretariat

Brendan Seale, Head of Sustainability, IKEA Canada

Robert Walker, VP ESG, NEI Investments LP

Mike Wilson, Executive Director, Smart Prosperity Institute

** = Co-chair, Circular Economy Leadership Coalition

 

Media

For more information, please contact: 

Jeremy Runnalls
jeremy@smartprosperity.ca
613.462.3375
www.smartprosperity.ca