Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland on March 18, 2020. Photo by Kamara Morozuk
The 2021 federal budget would slash corporate taxes for zero-emission technology manufacturers, offer tax credits for carbon-capture initiatives and spend billions of dollars on projects to cut carbon pollution and boost climate resiliency.
The budget unveiled Monday by Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland contains several long-term, environment-focused funding initiatives, adding up to a $17.6-billion “green recovery” plan the governing Liberal Party hopes will create jobs, lower emissions and support Canada’s cleantech businesses.
It includes a $5-billion, seven-year commitment to the government’s “net-zero accelerator” for projects meant to decarbonize heavy-emitting sectors like steel and aluminum and “attract the large-scale investments needed to meet our goal of net-zero by 2050.”