F&D’s Rahim Kanani interviews Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on climate
change, cyberattacks and cybercrime, misinformation on social media, and
gender equality at home and abroad.
F&D: As you survey the international community’s efforts to tackle
climate change, what are we doing right, and where are we falling
short?
PM Trudeau:
I am encouraged by work around the world to meet the Paris Climate
Agreement goals. More and more countries are implementing a price on
pollution, for example. Meanwhile, at universities and research centers
around the world, some of our sharpest minds are coming up with
technologies that will usher us toward a carbon-neutral future.
But more work needs to be done. Some of our closest allies and partners
have wavered from commitments made at COP21 [2015 UN climate change
conference]. In Canada, we have seen resistance to our federal carbon
pollution pricing system. We simply cannot delay action any longer. The
livelihoods and futures of Canadians and other people around the world
depend on leaders of every country taking bold, concerted action today.
That’s why Canada hosted this year’s Clean Energy Ministerial. We welcomed
climate leaders from over 25 countries, and what we accomplished confirms
what Canadians already know: when dealing with a global problem like
climate change, international cooperation and solutions are paramount. The
ministerial delivered new investments in carbon capture technology and
electric vehicle production while underscoring that, for many countries,
the momentum to fight climate change has never been stronger.
F&D: The Bank of Canada recently released its 2019 Financial System
Review and, for the first time, listed climate change as one of six
major vulnerabilities facing Canada’s economy. What would a financial
system that accounts for climate risk look like, and why would that
matter?
PM Trudeau:
Despite the progress we are making in the fight against climate change, its
effects are mounting and being increasingly felt by more and more people,
especially the most vulnerable, around the world. Canada’s economy is
strong and growing, but its future success depends on a bold, concerted
response to climate change.
Canadian businesses need the proper tools and resources to thrive as we
transition to a greener future. Building our financial sector around
sustainability is therefore a must. By combining the expertise of the
financial sector with environmental considerations, our banks can help us
build a carbon-neutral economy. That’s why in 2018, Canada’s minister of
finance and minister of environment and climate change created the Expert
Panel on Sustainable Finance. In June, we received the final report from
the Expert Panel and are currently considering its findings.
If we are to meet our Paris Agreement commitments, future economic growth
needs to be sustainable. With a strong economy, a solid track record of
innovation, and an internationally competitive financial sector, Canada has
an opportunity to become a world leader in sustainable finance. By playing
to all of these strengths, we can face the challenge of climate change
head-on while making sure Canadians benefit from a strong and sustainable
economy for generations to come.
F&D: Switching gears to international affairs, one of the most
important challenges we face today is cyberattacks, whether on
financial institutions, critical infrastructure, or other elements
integral to our way of life. How would you rank the cyber threat to
Canadians, and how are you tackling these issues?
PM Trudeau:
We know the costs of cybercrime. In Canada, data breaches cost our citizens
and businesses over $3 billion each year. To tackle cyberattacks and lead
the way in the global cyber challenge, we made the single largest
investment in cybersecurity ever made by the Canadian government. To that
end, we launched the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, which brings
together all federal operational cyber expertise under one roof. For the
first time, we have a single, trusted source of expert advice and services
for government, critical infrastructure operators, the private sector, and
the Canadian public. Additionally, we introduced a National Cyber Security
Strategy to enhance cybersecurity in Canada, protect critical
infrastructure, and help Canadians stay safe online. We also recently
invested $200 million in our national police force to ensure they have the
necessary tools and resources to fight online crime.
Cybersecurity is as much a challenge as it is an opportunity. Innovations
in online security services account for $1.7 billion of Canada’s GDP per
year. Meanwhile, cybersecurity supports 20,000 jobs across the country,
with the potential to create hundreds of thousands more around the world.
Through collaboration with private sector partners, we will continue to
create a stronger environment for security research and innovation in
Canada.
F&D: Building on this theme, social media platforms have enabled
the spread of misinformation to a degree never before seen in history.
How are you approaching this particular challenge in Canada?
PM Trudeau:
Canadians know all too well the real—and often tragic—consequences of
online misinformation. The person who committed the despicable act of
terror at the Quebec City Islamic Cultural Centre in 2017 was radicalized
by online hate. Since then, we have seen attacks around the world inspired
by similar hatred and misinformation, all accessed, fanned, and flamed
through the internet.
World leaders have a responsibility to prevent the internet from being used
as a tool for terrorism. That is why Canada has joined initiatives like New
Zealand’s Prime Minister Ardern’s Christchurch Call to Action and is
working with allies and platforms through the Global Internet Forum to
Counter Terrorism to identify and take down terrorist content online.
To better protect our democracy from online misinformation, we recently
passed a bill that will modernize Canada’s elections for the digital age
and will guard against interference during an election period. We are also
collaborating with social media platforms to maintain a registry of
partisan and election advertising published during the lead-up to, and
during, our elections. These actions will keep social media transparent and
make sure Canadians have a better sense of where their information is
coming from.
Reducing disinformation online is essential to making our electoral systems
stronger. In a global ecosystem like the internet, regulations cannot be
piecemeal—completely eliminating the threat of online misinformation
demands that countries work toward similar standards. We have taken first
steps in Canada, and it is my hope that other countries will follow suit.
F&D: Earlier this year Canada hosted the Women Deliver conference
to accelerate progress toward creating a more equal world. Indeed,
our March issue
focused on women and growth. What are some of your signature policies
and actions to date that exemplify your commitment to gender equality?
PM Trudeau:
In 2015, we made gender equality a core commitment of our campaign—a first
in Canadian history. Delivering on that commitment has been one of our top
priorities as a government, starting with our appointment of Canada’s
first-ever gender balanced cabinet.
Since then, we have made significant investments and passed landmark
legislation to build a more equal and inclusive country. We created the
first-ever National Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence.
We passed legislation to ensure equal pay for work of equal value in the
federal public service and to eliminate harassment and violence in the
federal workplace. Gender-based analysis now also factors into all of our
major policy decisions, including the federal budget.
At home, we launched the Women’s Entrepreneurship Strategy and invested $2
billion to support women entrepreneurs, which will help double the amount
of women-owned businesses in Canada by 2025. Recognizing that grassroots
organizations often best serve and understand the needs of their
communities, we also invested $100 million in women’s organizations across
Canada.
F&D: How does your commitment to gender equality manifest in
Canada’s efforts abroad?
PM Trudeau:
Beyond our borders, we launched the Feminist International Assistance
Policy, which makes gender equality and women’s empowerment a focus of all
our international assistance. The policy recognizes that gender equality
and the empowerment of women and girls are the best way to build a more
inclusive and prosperous world. We also established the Equality Fund—by
bringing together resources from the private sector, civil society, and
government—to alleviate financial constraints facing women’s organizations
around the world. Most recently, at the Women Deliver conference in
Vancouver, Canada committed $1.4 billion annually to support women and
girls’ health around the world, with $700 million of the annual investment
dedicated to sexual and reproductive health rights.
As a champion for gender equality, our government has also galvanized
support from partners. During Canada’s G7 presidency in 2018, we created
the Gender Equality Advisory Council to bring a gender equality lens across
all G7 activities. Thanks to the Council’s leadership, at the G7 Summit in
Charlevoix, Canada and partners announced an investment of almost $4
billion in education for women and girls in conflict and crisis
situations—the largest investment of its kind ever made.
