VANCOUVER, Canada – Today the government of Canada launched the National Adaptation Strategy in Vancouver alongside provincial, and Indigenous government representatives. The strategy is the product of two years of engagement with provinces and territories, Indigenous partners, key experts, stakeholders and partners across Canada. It presents a whole-of-society approach to reducing risk and building climate-resilient communities.
Climate change is affecting the safety, health, and quality of life of people across Canada. Every year, the country faces increasing record-breaking climate events, including wildfires, extreme heatwaves, and floods, on top of slow onset climate impacts, such as thawing permafrost and rising sea levels. Working together to reduce risk from the changing climate will keep Canadian communities safer and healthier. It will also shield the economy from shocks and help avoid some of the rising costs of extreme weather. Simply put, the choices we made today will help decide the future of our communities, our livelihoods, our environment, and our economy.
Steven Guilbeault, minister of environment and climate change, was joined by Jonathan Wilkinson, minister of natural resources, and Bill Blair, president of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and minister of emergency preparedness, as well as George Heyman, British Columbia’s minister of environment and climate change strategy, and Mike Klassen, Vancouver’s acting deputy mayor. Representatives from the chief Wayne Sparrow of the Musqueam Indian Band, chief Jen Thomas of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, and a representative of the Squamish Nation were also in attendance.
The strategy lays out an agreed-upon framework to reduce the risk of climate-related disasters, improve health outcomes, protect nature and biodiversity, build and maintain resilient infrastructure, and support a strong economy and workers. It also identifies common goals, objectives, and targets to focus the efforts of governments and communities across these key areas and to help ensure future investments are targeted and effective.
The strategy was released in November 2022 for a period of final comment, with provinces, territories, and national Indigenous organizations reviewing it and providing feedback. This opportunity for a final comment period strengthened relationships, confirmed support for the Strategy’s overall vision, and will improve shared implementation. In particular, feedback was received on targets that were part of the November 2022 release.
Most comments focused on how governments could work together to achieve goals and measure progress. Notably, feedback allowed for even deeper recognition of the lived realities and climate change impacts in communities across the country, including Indigenous communities and the North.
Similarly, the government of Canada Adaptation Action Plan, released alongside the National Adaptation Strategy in November 2022, has been updated to include new federal investments and initiatives related to flooding, freshwater, supply chains, and security. The action plan, which now has 73 actions, compared to 68 in November 2022, outlines the federal contribution to achieving Canada’s climate change adaptation goals.
In the coming months, the federal government will work with provinces and territories to advance bilateral action plans as a key step to implementing the strategy. Likewise, the government will work with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis on a regional and distinctions basis through the Indigenous Climate Leadership Agenda which supports self-determined Indigenous climate actions.
Also highlighted today is a $164.2 million investment through the National Adaptation Strategy announcement in November 2022, to advance the ongoing Flood Hazard Identification and Mapping Program (FHIMP). This investment provides five years of funding toward projects under the FHIMP, while working to increase nationwide flood mapping coverage and to share accessible flood hazard information with all Canadians. Timely action on flood mapping will provide decision-makers and the public with the information they urgently need to plan, and respond to, flooding impacts made severe by climate change.
Starting in 2015, the government of Canada has invested more than $6.5 billion in adaptation, including $2 billion in commitments since fall 2022 to implement the National Adaptation Strategy and support other adaptation-related activities. When disaster relief is factored in, federal investments exceed $10 billion.
The strategy is a practical framework for action from all orders of government to keep communities safe from climate risk. Through cooperation and collaboration, including continued efforts to reach net-zero emissions, Canadians and their communities can increase their resilience to the impacts of climate change. The National Adaptation Strategy helps governments and communities in Canada work more effectively together by setting collective priorities for urgent action. With equity and inclusion at its centre, the Strategy helps to ensure that collective actions do not leave anyone behind.
Canada’s National Adaptation Strategy: Building Resilient Communities and a Strong Economy
