QUESTION PERIOD — Environment and Climate Change
Federal Offset Protocols
October 2, 2024
Thank you, Your Honour. My question is for the Government Representative in the Senate.
Senator Gold, the federal government’s pace in developing greenhouse gas offset protocols is concerningly slow. For example, the Direct Air Carbon Dioxide Capture and Sequestration protocol, now targeted for the fall of 2024, has been in progress for many years.
Repeating this slow process for every specific new technology risks Canada losing billions in global purchases of carbon credits and investment in innovative carbon removal companies.
Most governments are racing ahead, including that of B.C. here in Canada; it is purposefully developing an open-ended protocol that can include multiple types of carbon removal.
My questions are these: First, with further technologies evolving rapidly, is the federal government prioritizing the development of efficient, agile and adoption-focused protocols that provide certainty to buyers of carbon credits and investors in carbon removal companies? Second, what confidence can you provide that the federal government is moving fast enough to prevent the Canadian market from fragmenting jurisdictionally?
Thank you for your question, senator, and for your continued advocacy on this pertinent issue.
I’ve been informed that Environment and Climate Change Canada, or ECCC, develops federal offset protocols on an ongoing basis. This is done with input from a team of external technical experts for each protocol.
My understanding is draft protocols are then posted on Canada’s Greenhouse Gas Offset Credit System website for a comment period. This gives stakeholders and the public a chance to submit comments to help improve the quality and useability of protocols. As protocols are completed and published, work on new protocols begins.
Thank you for describing the process; however, I’m looking for the timelines.
When creating these protocols, what is ECCC’s view of who the customer is? Are they aiming to provide a reliable, investment-friendly environment for scaling important new technologies?
To be frank, colleague, I’m more familiar with the processes and stakeholders — including Indigenous participants as well as other departments — in terms of how this program is moving forward.
I will raise this question with the minister when I have the opportunity to do so.
