## Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Climate Change, Cybercrime, and Gender Equality – IMF F&D

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**Canonical URL:** [Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Climate Change, Cybercrime, and Gender Equality – IMF F&D](https://www.imf.org/en/publications/fandd/issues/2019/06/interview-with-canadian-prime-minister-justin-trudeau-on-climate-change)

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## Bibliographic details
- Authors: Rahim Kanani
- Published: June 1, 2019

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### Climate change: international cooperation and domestic action
- Encouraged by global efforts to meet the Paris Climate Agreement goals; increasing number of countries implementing a price on pollution.
- Concern that some allies and partners have wavered from commitments made at COP21.
- Canada hosted this year’s Clean Energy Ministerial, convening climate leaders from over 25 countries.
- Outcomes of the ministerial cited:
  - New investments in carbon capture technology.
  - New investments in electric vehicle production.
- Policy emphasis:
  - International cooperation and solutions are paramount.
  - Leaders must take bold, concerted action today to protect livelihoods and futures.

### Financial system and climate risk
- Recognition that climate change effects are mounting and affect vulnerable populations.
- Canada’s response to integrate sustainability into the financial sector:
  - 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."
- Rationale and goals:
  - Equip Canadian businesses with tools and resources to thrive during the transition to a greener economy.
  - Combine financial sector expertise with environmental considerations to build a carbon-neutral economy.
  - Aim for Canada to become a world leader in sustainable finance by leveraging a strong economy, innovation, and an internationally competitive financial sector.

### Cybersecurity and cybercrime
- Stated cost of cybercrime in Canada: data breaches cost citizens and businesses over $3 billion each year.
- Government actions taken:
  - Made the single largest investment in cybersecurity ever by the Canadian government.
  - Launched the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security to consolidate federal operational cyber expertise.
  - Introduced a National Cyber Security Strategy to enhance cybersecurity, protect critical infrastructure, and help Canadians stay safe online.
  - Invested $200 million in the national police force for tools and resources to fight online crime.
- Economic footprint and employment:
  - Innovations in online security services account for $1.7 billion of Canada’s GDP per year.
  - Cybersecurity supports 20,000 jobs across the country, with the potential to create hundreds of thousands more globally.
- Policy approach:
  - Continue collaboration with private sector partners to foster security research and innovation.

### Social media, misinformation, and electoral integrity
- Cited real-world consequences of online misinformation, including radicalization and the 2017 Quebec City Islamic Cultural Centre attack.
- International and multilateral engagement:
  - Joined New Zealand’s Christchurch Call to Action.
  - Working with allies and platforms through the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism to identify and take down terrorist content online.
- Domestic measures to protect democracy:
  - Passed a bill to modernize Canada’s elections for the digital age and guard against interference during an election period.
  - Collaborating with social media platforms to maintain a registry of partisan and election advertising published during lead-up to and during elections.
- Policy principle:
  - Reducing disinformation requires countries to work toward similar standards; regulations cannot be piecemeal.

### Gender equality: domestic policies and investments
- 2015: Gender equality made a core commitment of the government campaign; appointment of Canada’s first-ever gender balanced cabinet.
- Domestic actions and legislation:
  - Created the first-ever National Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence.
  - Passed legislation to ensure equal pay for work of equal value in the federal public service.
  - Passed legislation to eliminate harassment and violence in the federal workplace.
  - Integrated gender-based analysis into all major policy decisions, including the federal budget.
- Investments and programs:
  - Launched the Women’s Entrepreneurship Strategy and invested $2 billion to support women entrepreneurs, with the objective to double the amount of women-owned businesses in Canada by 2025.
  - Invested $100 million in women’s organizations.

### Gender equality: international assistance and global leadership
- Feminist International Assistance Policy:
  - Makes gender equality and women’s empowerment a focus of all Canadian international assistance.
- Financing and funds:
  - Established the Equality Fund to bring together resources from the private sector, civil society, and government.
  - Committed $1.4 billion annually to support women and girls’ health around the world, including $700 million of the annual investment dedicated to sexual and reproductive health rights.
- Multilateral and G7 leadership:
  - During Canada’s G7 presidency in 2018, created the Gender Equality Advisory Council to integrate a gender lens across G7 activities.
  - 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.

*Interview in F&D Magazine by Rahim Kanani with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, June 2019*

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_Source: https://www.imf.org/en/publications/fandd/issues/2019/06/interview-with-canadian-prime-minister-justin-trudeau-on-climate-change_