The federal government of Canada is actively encouraging domestic businesses to join the First Movers Coalition (FMC) of the World Economic Forum (WEF) to achieve the country's climate goals.
FMC, launched by President Joe Biden at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, leverages the purchasing power of corporations to decarbonize several heavy-emitter industries such as aluminum, aviation, cement, concrete, shipping, steel and trucking. The coalition has already received at least 120 commitments from over 90 corporations and 13 governments.
The Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED), headed by Innovation and Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne, has sent engagement letters to Canadian businesses to participate in the FMC. These letters reaffirm the federal government's endorsement of the FMC initiative.
In October, Conservative MP Leslyn Lewis filed an order paper to seek information about the role of the federal government in the FMC.
According to the Inquiry of Ministry document, the Canadian government must promote the FMC, a collaboration between the WEF and the U.S. Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, to domestic businesses. In line with this role, the government has sent letters to those companies to endorse the FMC and, in return, refer them to the FMC Secretariat to "secure their participation."
"As a government partner, the Government of Canada is asked to encourage Canadian businesses to join the coalition and influence future supply chains while positioning themselves to succeed in a sustainable economy," wrote Champagne in response to Lewis.
Lewis questioned the latest press release of the FMC member page, which shows no records of Canadian companies participating in the coalition. She specifically requested information on the annual spending of the government associated with being an FMC government partner.
In response, Champagne stated that there are no expenditures or costs to the government for the current fiscal year or anticipated for the next fiscal year. He further asserted that no policy measures have been or will be implemented as part of the FMC.
However, it contradicts a Jan. 18 news release from the ISED department, wherein it was stated that by joining the coalition, Ottawa aims to "create markets for clean technologies through policy measures and private sector engagement." The partners page of the FMC also indicates that government partners are committed to the rapid scaling of emerging technologies by 2030.
Canadian government has spent $23.5 million on WEF projects in 8 years
When questioned about any contracts or agreements related to FMC membership or FMC-related commitments, Champagne claimed that the government had not entered into such arrangements. Yet federal records reveal that the government has spent nearly $23.5 million on WEF projects since November 2015. This spending reportedly included the development of a digital ID for travel called the Known Traveler Digital Identity (KTDI).
The KTDI project, budgeted at $105.3 million over five years starting in 2021-2022, was intended to enhance biometric identity management and streamline pre-border submission of declarations. Although the Canadian Border Services Agency indicated in March 2020 that the project was postponed indefinitely due to the pandemic, Transport Canada has emphasized a commitment to bring the project to a close.
Aside from the KTDI project, Canada is also participating in the WEF's Agile Nations network, which seeks to usher in the "Fourth Industrial Revolution" by simplifying regulations across jurisdictions to facilitate the proliferation of new technologies, including gene editing and artificial intelligence.
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