Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed Wednesday the federal government will meet with Indigenous leaders and Premiers in Vancouver early March in the hopes of laying out the framework for a national climate strategy.
“I look forward to working with the Premiers on combatting climate change and moving toward a greener, more sustainable Canadian economy better positioned to compete globally in the areas of clean knowledge and technologies,” Trudeau said in a media release.
The Prime Minister announced he will meet with Indigenous leaders on March 2 to inform a national climate framework discussion with the Premiers in a First Ministers’ Meeting scheduled to take place March 3. First Ministers’ Meetings did not occur under former Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
According to Clare Demerse, Ottawa-based energy policy adviser with Clean Energy Canada, the meeting provides an unprecedented opportunity to discuss Canada’s renewable energy transition.
“The right people will be in the room to move forward on a national approach [to climate change],” Demerse told DeSmog Canada. “Whether it’s electrical production, or natural resources extraction, provinces make big decisions on energy in Canada.”