Thank you, Ahmed, Minister Hussen, for everything. I’d like to start by acknowledging that we’re on the traditional unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.

Thank you to all those who have joined us, members of the Global Environment Facility and CEO Carlos Manuel, ministers and representatives from around the world, young people, Indigenous leaders and civil society leaders.

In the past few days, here in Vancouver, we’ve made real progress to protect nature. And before I talk about that progress, I want to talk about the moment we’re all in right now and why this matters so much what you’re doing here. Canada is in the midst of our worst wildfire season ever. In fact, we’re at a point where it’s hard to even articulate the devastation we’ve faced this summer alone. As we speak, tens of thousands of people have been evacuated in the Northwest Territories. Fires are ripping through British Columbia, as all of you have seen from the smoke outside. Every part of this country has been affected this summer, from wildfires destroying homes, to communities welcoming evacuees, to respiratory problems aggravated because of smoke that travels hundreds of kilometres.

A few days ago, I met with evacuees from the Northwest Territories, and earlier today I was in Kelowna, West Kelowna, and West Bank First Nation, which have been hit incredibly hard by fires, to meet with local leaders. And, as I thanked some of the local firefighters, it was especially poignant to know that, for a number of them, even as they were fighting against blazes in one part of town, they knew their homes had just been destroyed in another part of town.

This is real and is being felt by Canadians from coast to coast to coast, and more extreme weather events are being felt by people, particularly the most vulnerable people, everywhere around the world.

For us here in Canada, keeping people safe is always job one. That’s why we’ve deployed the Canadian Armed Forces to help fight fires and we’re supporting provinces and territories with everything from equipment to evacuation plans. And, as we’ve done for places across the country, we’ll be there to help people rebuild their lives and their communities. So that’s the context in which this meeting has been held: wildfires across Canada in a summer of deadly heat waves, droughts, and storms across the world.

When we ask ourselves why these disasters are happening and with the level of devastation that we have not seen before, the answer, of course, is complicated. But we know that climate change is key to the story. Hotter, drier springs that turn into hotter, drier summers, for example, which turn our forests into giant tinderboxes. And we know that nature loss plays a role too. As we lose natural ecosystems that would normally absorb the pollution that drives climate change, things get worse. And then, in turn, more ecosystems are lost, fuelling a vicious cycle.

To put it in perspective, wildfire emissions in Canada for this season alone are already over twice our record for a whole year. The disasters we’re facing as a world are not just bad luck. Of that, there is no question. They’re being driven by climate change and nature loss. The question is, therefore, what are we to do about it?

Some, including some politicians, have tried to sell us on ignoring the environmental crisis, whether that’s climate change, biodiversity loss or pollution. Or they say that we have to choose between making people’s lives more affordable on the one hand or protecting our planet on the other. Well, that’s just plain wrong. I wake up every day and think about how I can help make life more affordable for Canadian families. That’s what our grocery rebate or our work to build housing or our $10 a day childcare is all about. And I also wake up every day and think about how to keep people safe from things like wildfires and how to protect the world that our kids and grandkids will inherit. These goals don’t contradict each other. In fact, working on one must help us achieve the other.

And I’m not just talking about how our pollution pricing cuts emissions while putting money back in people’s pockets, although, of course, it does. I’m talking about how protecting nature helps us create jobs and support local growth.

Last December, Canada welcomed the world to Montréal for COP 15, and the global commitment to protecting 30% of the world’s land and water by 2030 drew a lot of attention. As well it should have, because it’s a major achievement. Here in Canada, we have been redoubling our efforts for years. In 2015, less than 1% of Canada’s marine and coastal areas were protected and today, it’s over 14%. Canada has also protected hundreds of thousands of square kilometres of land.

Last year in Montréal, Canada made an important announcement. We announced our support for four major, Indigenous-led projects, projects that will create jobs and opportunities for local communities while protecting vast stretches of land and water.  

Last December, at COP 15, I announced support for four new indigenous-led conservation projects including one right here in B.C. In total, these projects will represent almost a million square kilometres. And that’s a big number. But it’s not actually what makes these projects so special. These projects, designed by communities for communities, will create a conservation economy where caring for the land can become a career opportunity.

Protecting nature is as much about preserving precious ecosystems as it is about supporting local communities and creating sustainable livelihoods. This is something we’ve demonstrated in Canada but, as important as that is, it’s just as important to do this work everywhere around the world.

No one country, no one people can pretend anymore that what happens or doesn’t happen on the other side of the world doesn’t matter to them. And not just “doesn’t matter” even in an abstract way but “doesn’t matter in a concrete, affect-your-daily-lives” way.

These past few years, whether it’s been through a pandemic, the global economic crises, through conflict or through climate change, we have all learned just how interconnected we are and how directly responsible we must be for each other. No country and no people can simply shrug off what happens on the other side of the world as their problem, not ours.

People in communities everywhere need to see investments that will secure their future, both their economic well-being and the well-being of the nature that supports them. And that’s why the work you have done here in Vancouver matters so much.

In Montréal, at COP 15, the world agreed to set up a new Global Biodiversity Framework Fund to help protect nature, halt biodiversity loss, and build a sustainable future for generations to come. Here in Vancouver, together, we have launched that fund in record time. I’m looking forward to seeing contributions from leaders at upcoming international summits this fall, and I want to recognize the contribution that has already been announced by the United Kingdom.

For our part, as the host location for COP 15 and this assembly, Canada stepped up as the first country to contribute with $200 million.

(Applause)

Because if the promise of this country is that every generation should be better off than the last, then that should be a promise we make to everyone, everywhere too.

Climate change affects all of us, and to find real solutions, countries around the world need to join forces. Together, we can preserve clean air and water, we can give people all over the world, including those who are most vulnerable, a real and fair chance to succeed, and we can build a future we’ll be proud to leave to our children. 

It’s time we secured the promise of a better future for everyone. And that is exactly what we are all doing here today, together. Thank you very much, my friends.

(Applause)