Forest Ministerial progress report on the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change 2020

On December 9, 2016, federal and most provincial and territorial governments adopted the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change (PCF). The PCF is an ambitious plan to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, create clean jobs and growth, and increase Canada’s resiliency to the impacts of climate change.

The PCF outlines how Canada will meet or exceed its target under the Paris Agreement of reducing GHG emissions by 30 percent from 2005 levels by 2030. The PCF was developed through a collaborative process by federal, provincial and territorial working groups in consultation with the public and Indigenous Peoples who will continue to be meaningfully engaged as the plan is implemented.

The PCF puts Canada on a path to meet its 2030 emission reduction target through four pillars:

1. Carbon pricing¹;
2. Complementary actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions;
3. Adaptation and climate resilience; and,
4. Clean technology and innovation.

Through the PCF, federal, provincial, and territorial governments committed to report annually on progress to First Ministers. To meet this commitment, the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers (CCFM) along with nine other Ministerial tables have committed to producing annual progress reports on PCF actions within their portfolios. These reports feed into annual Synthesis Reports on overall PCF progress, which are delivered to First Ministers in late autumn each year.

The forest sector falls under the PCF’s second pillar, Complementary actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and supports the following actions:

1. Increasing stored carbon by protecting and enhancing carbon sinks;
2. Increasing the use of wood for construction;
3. Generating bioenergy and bioproducts; and,
4. Advancing innovation in GHG-efficient forest management practices.

Three of the forest-related PCF actions (1, 3, and 4) also fall within the agriculture portfolio. Progress on actions that relate directly to agriculture will be included in the PCF report from the Ministers of Agriculture. There is no significant overlap between the measures discussed in this report and those reported by the Ministers of Agriculture.

This is the third annual Forest Ministers’ report on the PCF, and it builds on last year’s report. Programs included in the 2018 report have been updated to reflect tangible progress, and many new programs have been added.

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