Building a Green Prairie Economy Act

Building a Green Prairie Economy Act
Parliament of Canada
Long title An Act respecting the building of a green economy in the Prairies
Citation	S.C. 2022, c. 21
Considered by	House of Commons of Canada
Considered by	Senate of Canada
Royal assent	2022-12-15
Legislative history
First chamber: House of Commons of Canada
Bill citation	Bill C-235
Introduced by	Jim Carr
First reading	2022-06-01
Second reading	2022-11-21
Third reading	2022-12-07
Second chamber: Senate of Canada
Member(s) in charge	Brent Cotter
First reading	2022-12-08
Second reading	2022-12-13
Third reading	2022-12-15
Related legislation
S.C. 2024, c. 13
Status: In force

The Building a Green Prairie Economy Act (French : Loi sur le développement d’une économie verte dans les Prairies) is an act of the Parliament of Canada relating to the development of an environmentally sustainable economy in the Prarie provinces of Canada.

Background

According to a report by the Institute for Research on Public Policy, as of January 2025, one in ten Canadian live in places vulnerable to disruption due to the transition to a sustainable economy. ^[1]

Passage

The bill was introduced as a private member's bill, by Winnipeg MP Jim Carr, who died of kidney failure shortly after the House Of Commons passed the bill. ^{[2] [3]}

Provisions

The legislation requires the federal governments, the provincial governments, local government, indigenous communities, and organisations representing employees and employers in the private sector to all co-operate to implement policies to develop a sustainable economy in the Prarie provinces. ^[3]

Implementation

Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan) released a framework to implement the policies agreed under the act, entitled The Framework to Build a Green Prairie Economy. ^[4]

Projects funded by PrairiesCan and others aligned with the framework have included:

• Economic Development Lethbridge and Alberta Sugar Beet Growers received a CA$1,800,000 total investment on improving partnerships between communities on Highway 4. ^[5]
• Canadian Wheat Research Coalition received CA$11,200,000 in funding for will exploring best management practices and new genomics tools to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases. ^[6]
• NFI Group received a CA$23,400,000 investment to support the development of an "All-Canadian Build facility" for zero-emission buses and coaches. ^[7]
• Nine solar, wind, and grid infrastructure projects received CA$$150,000,000 under the Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways  Program. ^[8]

Criticisms

The legislation has been criticised by Anne Lindsey, a member and former executive director of the Manitoba Eco-Network for promoting nuclear energy. ^[9]

References

1. Omstead, Jordan (January 14, 2025). "One in 10 Canadians live in places susceptible to green transition disruption: report". City News Calgary. Archived from the original on January 16, 2025. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
2. Tunney, Catharine (December 12, 2022). "Jim Carr, Manitoba MP and former Liberal cabinet minister, dies after battle with cancer". CBC News. Archived from the original on October 1, 2024. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
3. Liewicki, Nathan (December 13, 2022). "'It's a sad day for Canada': Winnipeg MP Jim Carr remembered for his passion, advocacy". CBC News. Archived from the original on February 7, 2023. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
4. Prairies Economic Development Canada (December 18, 2023). "The Framework to Build a Green Prairie Economy". www.canada.ca. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
5. Leishman, Sam (March 7, 2025). "EDL, beet growers get boost from federal funding". Lethbridge Herald. Archived from the original on April 5, 2025. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
6. Reidy, John (August 3, 2024). "Canada invests in wheat innovation". World-Grain.com. Archived from the original on August 14, 2024. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
7. "Manitoba government expands green economy jobs with support for NFI Group". Environment Journal. October 30, 2024. Archived from the original on February 7, 2025. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
8. Thomas, Knowlton (December 16, 2024). "Canada Reveals $150M Investment Targeting Nine Clean Energy Projects Throughout Alberta". calgary.tech. Archived from the original on December 16, 2024. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
9. "Liberal MP Jim Carr hopes to build green economy in the Prairies". iPolitics. July 7, 2022. Archived from the original on April 30, 2025. Retrieved April 30, 2025.