CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY

Hello everyone.

This is a good day for our planet. This is a good day for Canadians.

Thank you, Jonathan, for that introduction and for your outstanding work as Minister of Environment and Climate Change.

Catherine, we’re lucky to have you on the team and thank you for welcoming us into your riding to the Dominion Arboretum.

And thank you, Steven, for all your work and dedication.

A year ago today, the holiday season was well underway.

We all saw each other regularly at work or around town, and people were planning to spend time with loved ones during their well-deserved break.

Not everything was perfect, obviously—nothing ever is—but Canadians felt optimistic about 2020.

No one had even heard of COVID-19.

Well, things have been tough in the year since, and these holidays will be different.

But there is reason to hope, as we look towards 2021.

On Wednesday, Health Canada approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine as safe and effective.

Canada has already secured up to 76 million doses of this vaccine.

The first doses are expected to arrive in the next few days.

We’re expecting 30,000 doses to start arriving next week, with a total of almost 250,000 doses before the end of December.

We also have six other agreements for potential vaccines, three of which are currently under review by regulators.

We’ve reserved enough doses so that every Canadian who wants a vaccine will be able to get it before the end of 2021.

Vaccinations will help end the pandemic.

But right now, our fight against COVID-19 is far from over.

Again this week, far too many provinces reported record highs in cases and hospitalizations.

These numbers must go down.

Earlier today, Dr. Tam and Dr. Njoo presented new models.

The projections show that if we maintain the current number of people with whom each of us are in contact, the numbers will continue to surge and we could reach over 12,000 new cases a day in January.

There is no other way—we must reduce our in-person contacts right now.

A vaccine in a week or in a month won’t help you if you get COVID-19 today.

So my message to Canadians is simple: hold tight and don’t give up. We know how to make it through long, cold winters and we’re going to do that once again.

Together with the provinces and territories, and Indigenous partners, our government is doing everything we can to roll out vaccines as quickly as possible.

In the meantime, I’m asking everyone to continue to follow local public health guidelines. It’s really important that we think of our front line health workers—doctors, nurses, support staff in hospitals and care centres around the country who’ve been working incredibly hard in difficult situations throughout the past number of months who are like us, looking at a long and difficult winter.

The things we, each of us, can do every day to reduce the number of contacts we have, to avoid gatherings, to wear masks, to make sure we’re doing our part to get through this coming holiday season and through this winter in the best possible situation so that as vaccines start to roll out massively in the spring, we can get back to normal as quickly as possible is going to be really, really important.

We will get through this if we all do our part and work together.

We are preparing for the largest immunization campaign in Canadian history.

It is truly a team effort.

Everything is organized to make the process as effective as possible. 

Just yesterday, during our 23rd meeting with the premiers since the beginning of the pandemic, we discussed vaccine distribution and the measures we are continuing to take to slow the pandemic down.

The federal government has been here since the start of this crisis to support the provinces and territories, and we will continue to do so in the weeks and months to come.

We will also continue to directly support families, workers, and businesses through our various assistance programs.

Over 130,000 small businesses have already requested additional assistance under the expanded Canada Emergency Business Account.

We must, of course, continue to follow local public health guidelines and reduce the number of people with whom we are in contact. 

Hang in there. Keep doing what we have been doing for months. I know it’s not easy. I know it’s getting really hard to keep hanging on, but we now know that vaccines are on the way. 

Yes, it’s going to be a difficult winter. Yes, we will have to keep making sacrifices for our loved ones, for seniors, for front line workers. But we will be able to have a better spring and summer together.

Our front line workers—doctors, nurses, and those working in long-term care facilities for seniors—are starting to get pretty exhausted. They need our support. They need everyone to do their part to decrease the number of people with whom they are in contact, to avoid gatherings, to wear masks, to keep their distance, and to keep hanging on to get through this winter.

We know that hospitals are always busy in the winter. We have to make sure they are not overwhelmed during this difficult time. We will continue to do what we have to and I know that, together, we will get through this.

Today, I can also confirm that Canada and the United States have agreed to extend the border measures already in place for another 30 days, so until January 21.

This decision will help protect people on both sides of the border.

In moments we’re living today, we’re all grateful for science.

We thank researchers and scientists for their hard work.

We trust them and we listen to them.

But let’s remember that science is not a pick-and-choose buffet.

If we trust scientists with our health, as we do, then we must also trust their research and their expertise when it comes to other existential threats.

And that includes climate change.

There is no vaccine against a polluted planet. It’s up to us to act.

Because there is a real cost to pollution.

We’re paying the price already with record storms, wildfires, floods, and heat waves, which all carry real economic costs and real risks to our health.

We chose to get straight to work on cutting pollution.

In 2016, our government—along with provinces, territories, and Indigenous leaders—presented the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change.

This plan included putting a price on pollution everywhere across the country, phasing out coal-fired electricity, and investing in clean technology, among other measures.

It was Canada’s first-ever national climate plan, and we’ve been working every day since to continue implementing it. 

Well, today, the world continues to change.

Tomorrow will mark the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement, which was created to fight climate change and accelerate actions for a sustainable future.

Just last month, we tabled our net-zero legislation to make it law.

Canadians want to do more to fight climate change while building a stronger economy for our kids and grandkids.

Clean technology presents enormous opportunities for economic growth and jobs.

And Canadians aren’t alone in realizing that.

By early next year, countries representing over 65% of global emissions and more than 70% of the world economy will have made ambitious commitments to carbon neutrality.

With global consumers and investors alike demanding and rewarding climate action, our trading partners and economic competitors are in this race.

Like us, they know that the cleaner your economy, the faster and stronger it will grow.

There is no time to waste, no time to hesitate.

Not for our planet and not for our economy.

The world is moving.

Canadians know that we cannot ease up on our fight against climate change.

On the contrary, now is the time to ramp up our recovery efforts to create sustainable jobs and a safe environment for everyone.

We need a plan that gets Canada ahead because without it, we’ll fall behind.

You asked us to do more and today, we are responding to your request with a concrete plan.

That’s why today, we are announcing Canada’s new, strengthened climate plan—A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy.

To accelerate our efforts, we’re investing $15.2 billion through this plan, with more to come.

Our government promised to exceed the targets announced in Paris five years ago and with this plan, we will do just that.

At the same time, we will establish new, more ambitious targets for the years to come.

To meet them, we will work and collaborate with all our partners in the public and private sectors to build a Canada that is stronger, more sustainable, and more prosperous for everyone.

Our plan will improve the energy efficiency of homes and buildings to cut energy waste while also helping people cut down on their bills.

It will support sustainable food and farming practices.

And it will make clean power available across the country, including in remote and Indigenous communities, while investing in clean and affordable transportation, including public transit and zero-emission vehicles.

Come January, I look forward to announcing our plan for permanent public transit funding.    

This plan is about what we can do for families, workers, and industry.

Starting in 2023, we will put even more money in the pockets of Canadians by increasing the price on pollution by $15 a ton per year.

At the same time, we will help businesses create and export low-carbon “Made-in-Canada” products, services, and technologies.

Climate-resilient projects are not just good for the planet, they’re good for workers and businesses.

Look no further than the Ford Oakville plant, which is retooling to make electric vehicles, securing thousands of middle-class jobs.

We knew this project would be good for workers and the environment alike, and that’s why our government invested to make it possible.

For heavy industries—like steel or aluminum—there is tremendous opportunity for clean growth.

We need to help them decarbonize to remain competitive.

Momentum is building around the globe for job-creating projects in all kinds of sectors.

And with our skilled workers, know-how, and resources, Canada is well positioned to become a world leader.

As Canadians, we get why this matters.

We have the longest coastline in the world, and a third of the world’s boreal forests.

We know that working with nature, instead of against it, is a win-win.

That’s why measures like planting 2 billion trees while better managing and conserving natural spaces are all so crucial to our plan.

We don’t have to choose between protecting the environment and growing the economy—they go hand in hand.

Our government committed to exceed Canada’s existing 2030 climate target and support new jobs for Canadians.

Today, we’re delivering on our plan to reach that goal.

At the same time, we are laying out new, more ambitious targets for the coming years.

Canada will continue to lead in the fight against climate change.

The investments and measures in our new plan to fight climate change will allow us to create good jobs and grow the middle class.

Whether you are an auto or aluminum sector worker, an urban planner or an engineer, a student or already in the work force, the transition to a cleaner economy will create even more opportunities for you.

When Canada is competitive on the world stage, all Canadians benefit.

We have an economy to rebuild and we have citizens to protect.

So are we going to learn from the past, and recognize that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure?

Will we choose a more resilient economy for the long term?

Yes and yes.

We are choosing to invest today so our children can continue breathing clean air tomorrow.

We are at a crossroad. And together, we have a choice to make.

A year ago, we didn’t know the challenges that 2020, and this pandemic, would bring.

But what we did know, and what we’ve known for a while now, was the existential threat posed by climate change.  

Let’s tackle this challenge by rebuilding and growing the economy with good, reliable jobs.

We still have a lot of work ahead, but with plans like this, plans to protect our communities and grow the economy, with vaccines on the way, there’s reason to feel optimistic for 2021 and for the future.

Thank you very much.