Executive Council
April 22, 2015

The following statement was given today in the House of Assembly by the Honourable Paul Davis, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador:

Premier Attends Quebec Climate Change Summit

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in this Honourable House to inform members about the Climate Change Summit that I attended last week.

On April 14, Quebec hosted a Climate Change Summit in Quebec City to which all premiers and territorial leaders were invited. The purpose of the event was to share experience on efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change, while exploring the scope for further collaboration. The summit provided an important opportunity to discuss climate change in the run-up to the United Nations conference in Paris in December where a new international climate change agreement is due to be considered.

Mr. Speaker, the thing that struck me about the summit was the degree of consensus among the jurisdictions present. Everyone agreed that climate change is a serious challenge and that provinces and territories have both the power and responsibility to take action. There was consensus on the importance of improving resilience to those climate change impacts that are now inevitable and also an understanding among leaders that transitioning to a lower carbon economy is not only important, but necessary.

The scale of the climate change challenge is considerable and it sometimes locks people into thinking about climate change in terms of the risks it poses. However, a clear message from the summit was that great challenges also bring great opportunities. Leaders spoke extensively about the economic opportunities that early action to tackle climate change can generate.

Mr. Speaker, I was delighted to represent Newfoundland and Labrador at this important event and confirm our province’s ongoing commitment to action. For example, we have committed over $24 million through the Green Fund to support greenhouse gas reduction projects for businesses and communities. We have also improved the energy efficiency of over 5,500 low income homes through our Residential Energy Efficiency Program, saving householders an average of $720 on their annual energy costs. In addition, we have worked with the iron ore mining, offshore petroleum and refining industries to identify how greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced at their facilities and have recently completed consultations with large industry to inform the development of a legislative framework.

Mr. Speaker, good work has been done, but we know that more will be needed if we are to meet our greenhouse gas reduction targets for 2020 and 2050. We are committed to do this and look forward to continuing our work with other provinces and territories, the Federal Government, external stakeholders, and members of this House as we move forward. I also look forward to further discussions with other premiers on climate change when I host the Council of Federation in Newfoundland and Labrador in July.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

2015 04 22                             2:15 p.m.