Federal Liberals Introduce C-50: the Canadian Sustainable Jobs Act

Yesterday in the House of Commons, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources, introduced Bill C-50 entitled “An Act respecting accountability, transparency and engagement to support the creation of sustainable jobs for workers and economic growth in a net-zero economy” (Canadian Sustainable Jobs Act).

The Canadian Sustainable Jobs Act includes several measures, all of which were outlined in the Interim Sustainable Jobs Plan earlier this year. These include:

• creating a Sustainable Jobs Partnership Council to provide the government with independent advice on the most effective measures to encourage sustainable job creation and to support workers and communities in the economy they are building for the future;
• publishing a Sustainable Jobs Action Plan every five years, beginning in 2025, to put in place measures to invest in the net-zero emissions economy and skills of the future; and,
• establishing a Sustainable Jobs Secretariat to enable policy and program coherence across federal entities on the government’s sustainable jobs approach, and to support the Partnership Council.

The Act will hold government to account with respect to supporting Canada’s workers. The Liberals have likened it to the Net-Zero Accountability Act, which puts into place similar structures, guidelines and accountability mechanisms for tracking and managing greenhouse gas emissions reductions.

Both the Interim Plan and the new legislation have been informed by consultations over the past two years with provinces and territories, Indigenous Peoples, workers and unions, industry, and environmental and civil society organizations. The Government of Canada will continue to engage with interested stakeholders as well as the Partnership Council once formed to develop the 2025 Sustainable Jobs Action Plan.

As noted in the government’s background materials related to the Act, Clean Energy Canada anticipates that jobs in the clean energy sector in Canada will grow by 3.4 percent annually to 2030 — nearly four times faster than the Canadian average. Industry groups, think tanks, non-governmental organizations and companies should consider what supports – both regulatory and programmatic - might be required to help keep pace with a shifting economy and increasing demand for skilled workers. The government will be very open to hearing your ideas as it works towards the 2025 Sustainable Jobs Action Plan. It will also be looking for parties interested in participating on the Partnership Council.