Canadian energy policy is still developed province by province with remarkably little coordination between the various provincial governments. The absence of regional planning is striking when one compares with a number of regions in the United States, but also with Europe in general. These numerous examples show that, in some cases at least, coordination on energy policy can deliver clear economic and environmental advantages, allowing a more optimal use of renewable energies, for example.
What could a regional energy policy for Eastern Canada be in view of the major changes that taking place in the North American energy context? And would it really provide significant advantages for the various provinces? If so, what are the technical and political challenges that are limiting the development of such a policy? If not, is the current level of policies appropriate?
These are the core questions that this workshop will attemp to answer.
Part of national initiative on climate changes
This workshop is organized as part of a large Canadian initiative on the development of a Canadian policy on climate change that is lead by Professor Catherine Potvin, from McGill University, and supported by the Trottier Institute for Science and Public Policy.
Overall, the initiative aims at launching a national discussion on what actions Canada should take with respect to climate change and to bring researchers from across disciplines to participate in a more active way to the dialog. Indeed, while the research community in a number of countries is involved in the public debate over climate change, Canadian researchers as a group have not yet established themselves as an important voice in the national discussions.
A number of activities will take place over the coming year, with the goal of bringing a more scientific contribution to Canada’s position at the next international conference on climate change that will be held in Paris at the end of 2015. The full program will be announced soon.