4 minute read
CEMA
Challenges and opportunities
For the first time in nearly three
years, the annual Canadian Fuel Marketing Conference was held this spring, and the federal government’s Emissions Reduction Plan and Budget 2022 were key discussion points.
The three-day conference, in Montreal, included 215 attendees from across the country, and revolved around collaboration and creativity to navigate Ottawa’s environmental and economic goals.
On March 29, Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault released his government’s plan to slash greenhouse gas emissions; deep cuts to the electricity, oil, gas, and transportation sectors were included. The plan also includes an ambitious target for emissions; by 2030, the government wants to see up to a 45% reduction compared to 2005 emissions levels. The end goal: to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
Eight days after that presentation, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland tabled the federal budget, with new measures to help businesses adopt clean technologies.
Questions about these timelines and funding commitments by the federal government were raised throughout the Canadian Energy Marketers Association (CEMA) conference by speakers and panel participants alike. Here are the highlights from the conference.
The Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper was the conference keynote speaker and was interviewed by CEMA emcee and renowned entrepreneur Catherine Clark. Harper, who served as prime minister from 2006-2015, told conference attendees: • Carbon emissions reductions are necessary, but targets and timelines need to be realistic • Canada needs to become more energy independent • Vilifying the energy sector is not useful; we need to embrace its value to our economic growth and resilience.
Chantal Hébert is a national affairs writer for the Toronto Star, weekly participant on CBC’s At Issue Panel and the author of two books. She led a 45-minute talk on Canadian politics, with highlights including: • The impact of the Conservative leadership race and the potential challenges certain candidates present for the Liberal agenda • The future for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau; she believes he will resign to allow for a Liberal party leadership race prior to the next federal election • The top contenders to replace Trudeau, the main one being Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland.
Douglas Dias is a representative of Renewable Industries Canada, a coalition of producers of renewable fuels, products and technology. He spoke about his organization’s commitment to consumer awareness and policy building and mentioned that: • Low-carbon biofuels are expected to outperform others due to availability • Capital investment will determine which categories grow the most • Under the proposed Clean Fuel Standard, producers and distributors of fossil fuels would have to reduce the CI by 3.5g starting July 2023 and 14g in 2030 • Biofuels and other clean fuels will play a more important role in achieving carbon reduction targets until the shift to ZEVs moves further down the road. Bob Larocque, president of the Canadian Fuels Association, spoke about the role of low-carbon fuels in the transportation sector and noted: • The federal regulatory landscape for this sector is very complex • It’s a challenge to keep Canadians and goods moving while pushing forward with the transition to net zero • Significant efforts and investments are helping to ensure renewable fuels are a player in the future.
David Adams, president of Global Automakers of Canada, said he doesn’t know what the future looks like for automotive manufacturing and Canada’s green economy, but the disruption is happening faster than many anticipated: • The global EV fleet is set to top 25 million this year • North America is hardest hit by chip shortages in the global supply chain • Four key challenges for the industry include jurisdictional “one upmanship,” economic vs. environmental drivers, myopic politics over greater good and a lack of federal leadership.
In addition, Catherine Clark moderated a panel representing the Canadian Transportation Alliance, in which Andrea Kent of Greenfield Global Inc, Jason Vaillant of the Canadian Fuels Association and yours truly discussed the fact that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to our transportation needs—just as there’s no silver-bullet solution to the future of energy overall.
The Canadian Transportation Alliance, which brings together industry associations and organizations to take a deep dive into research on the low carbon economy, was recognized as a valuable resource, helping decipher what is a complex regulatory system with often competing objectives.
With three full days of content, the conference reconfirmed the importance of continuing to work together as an industry to advance low-carbon transportation energy solutions.
Collectively, we have shown that the energy sector can meet the challenges that lie ahead, while providing Canadians the services they need today. We should be proud of what’s been accomplished, but need to keep our eyes on the prize as we head down the path towards net zero. OCTANE
BY JENNIFER STEWART
Jennifer Stewart is president and CEO of the Canadian Energy Marketers Association (CEMA), formerly CIPMA.
