Ontario and Quebec are looking to set an example for the rest of the country, including Ottawa, by pursuing a bilateral venture to combat climate change.

Environment and Climate Change Minister Glen Murray told QP Briefing on Tuesday he is off to Quebec City tomorrow to meet his opposite number in the National Assembly of Quebec. The two will, “start putting together the details of a Quebec-Ontario climate change partnership,” the minister explained.

Murray said any partnership would cover Ontario and Quebec’s “shared economy,” such as manufacturing, where industrial processes are a large contributor to greenhouse gas levels.

“I think a lot of people mistake the idea that dealing with climate change is going to be problematic for the economy,” Murray said. “We’re working closely together to have an economically-positive response to climate change but one that’s sufficient to deal with the crisis.”

Countries such as Finland and Germany have strengthened their economies by addressing climate change, Murray noted.

The two provinces have to take the lead on the issue, Murray continued, because there are few countries in the world that have the economic freedom to study and implement climate change technologies.

“I think our view as a government is Ontario and our partnership with Quebec and hopefully with other provinces – British Columbia is doing some great work – that we can provide global leadership and deploy solutions here that can be used in China, India and Brazil and other emerging economies, which are generating a lot of the greenhouse gas emissions,” he explained.

And the Ontario-Quebec partnership is even more necessary considering the federal government’s indifference to climate change, Murray said. He accused Ottawa of making Canada a “pariah globally right now,” on the climate change file.

“I think most of the provincial governments are disassociating themselves with the federal direction and working within the Canadian federation to create something that’s more consistent with values of Ontarians, Quebecers and other Canadians,” Murray stated.

The Ontario-Quebec collaboration also comes at a time when governments may be fiddling while the world literally burns. A leaked draft report by the United Nation’s International Panel on Climate Change recently said continued emission of greenhouse gases could do irreversible harm to the planet.

Murray said the report has created a “shorter runway” to deal with climate change, as it appears many negative outcomes that were predicted by a two degrees Celsius increase in global temperature have already begun to occur at lower levels.

“The more serious problems are happening earlier and … we’re on a faster track to a really, what I would call, a crisis, which is a few decades away, not a century away,” Murray warned.

But the province has been called a laggard on climate change by its own environment commissioner, Gord Miller, who said the government had “achieved nothing beyond the coal closures” and needed to move on to other initiatives.

Murray didn’t play down the significance of closing coal plants, saying the move was quite significant. Nevertheless, he said the steps taken with coal were “not sufficient” and pointed out the government is moving on such initiatives as electrifying the GO Transit system and using the Places to Grow Act to design cycling- and walking-friendly communities.

“I actually agree with most of [Miller’s critique],” said Murray, “and I think the premier would agree with most of it.”

The Liberals have made climate change a bigger part of their new government, as denoted by the creation of a climate change minister, a first for Ontario.

In addition, Premier Kathleen Wynne and the first ministers for the other provinces and territories agreed to a statement of principles for a Canadian energy strategy last week. The foundation laid included a mention of carbon pricing as an “appropriate initiative” to reduce greenhouse gases.

Wynne also said she’s open to talks with Quebec about purchasing some of its hydro, provided it's sold at a reasonable price.

Ontario, Quebec working on climate change partnership

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