What WWF-Canada advises Finance Minister Bill Morneau in pre-budget consultations

Make combating climate change a key component of all government decision-making, WWF-Canada President and CEO David Miller says

TORONTO, Jan. 13, 2016 /CNW/ - The new Liberal federal government's first budget should make climate change and environmental protection an intrinsic part of all decisions, WWF-Canada President and CEO David Miller urged Bill Morneau today as part of the Federal Finance Minister's pre-budget consultations.

The budget should include:

• A comprehensive plan to make combating climate change and environmental protections a priority in all operates and budgetary and tax expenditures;
• Efforts to encourage innovation and be an example to industry and consumers as an early and aggressive adopter of new technologies and techniques that combat climate change and protect the environment;
• Support for investment in renewable energy while ensuring such developments are habitat friendly;
• Investment in large scale science that makes climate change and environmental implications and options clear;
• Expressions of the opinion among Canadians that environmental protections and economic growth go hand-in-hand. Seventy-two per cent of Canadian say protecting the environment improves economic growth and provides jobs, according to poll taken in November and December by Environics. That opinion has been more or less stable since 2010.

Quote from David Miller, WWF-Canada President and CEO

• "For this particular budget they need to take measures, and they also need to develop a clear plan and strategy to address climate change. And that needs to be in every sector and part of the economy and every department's operations and budgets."

Quote from Bill Morneau, Federal Finance Minister of Canada

• "We do believe that a sustainable economy and proactively addressing climate change are not mutually exclusive but are mutually reinforcing and are a roadmap for us into the future. It's an opportunity to build a sustainable economy based on clean technology, on green infrastructure and on green jobs."

To support the economy through conservation and demonstrate the possible, WWF-Canada:

• Initiated research into the state of forage fish in Canada's Atlantic as a result of ocean warming and acidification as the ocean absorb excess carbon. The work has important links to viability of the return of the northern cod fishery. Smaller fish such as krill and mackerel (forage fish) are the foundation of the ocean food chain for larger fish and sea mammals and the humans that rely on them. Early evidence suggests they're being negatively affected by both ocean warming and increasing acidification.
• Ensures renewable energy projects protect essential habitats. WWF-Canada research and consultations were included in Nova Scotia's Marine Renewable Energy Act and renewable energy projects in the Arctic, among others.

The event
David Miller participated today on a leader's panel dedicated to discussing what it will take for Canada to meet our climate change responsibilities. This panel was one of three featured at the pre-budget consultation event Growing Canada's Economy symposium and took place on day three of federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau's six-day cross-country consultation trip. Hosted by the Public Policy Forum, the symposium goal is to bring together leaders to discuss how the Government of Canada can ensure the growth of our economy is robust and inclusive.

World Wildlife Fund Canada: WWF-Canada is part of WWF (World Wildlife Fund), one of the world's largest and most respected conservation organizations. WWF-Canada has close to 50 years of experience turning science-based knowledge and research into on-the-ground projects. WWF creates solutions to the most serious conservation challenges facing our planet, to help people and nature thrive. Visit wwf.ca for more information.

SOURCE WWF-Canada

Image with caption: "WWF-Canada (CNW Group/WWF-Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160113_C3334_PHOTO_EN_597874.jpg

Rebecca Spring, Communications Specialist, WWF-Canada, [email protected], [phone]