Readout - Dr. Stewart Elgie and Geneviève Morin selected as co-chairs during the first meeting of the Expert Taskforce on Natural Capital Accounting and Nature Financing
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OTTAWA, ON, Aug. 17, 2026 /CNW/ -- On Friday August 14th, 2026, the Honourable Nathalie Provost, Secretary of State (Nature) met with members of the Expert Taskforce on Natural Capital Accounting and Nature Financing for the Taskforce's inaugural meeting. Members began their work to identify innovative ways to mobilize public and private investment, creating new opportunities to protect nature and ensure its benefits are sustained for future generations.
During the meeting, Dr. Stewart Elgie and Geneviève Morin were selected as co-chairs, who will help steward future meetings. Dr. Elgie is a professor of law and economics at the University of Ottawa and the Jarislowsky Chair in Clean Economy and Innovation. He is also the founder and chair of the Smart Prosperity Institute, Canada's major green economy think-tank and policy-research institute. Geneviève Morin helped establish Fondaction in 1996, a Quebec labour-sponsored investment fund. She held various senior positions with the organization, including Chief Investment Officer, before being appointed President and Chief Executive Officer in January 2020.
The Taskforce brings together key leaders from conservation, Indigenous-led conservation, finance, economics, and public policy to help advance innovative solutions that support nature conservation and restoration while strengthening Canada's economy. The work of the Taskforce builds on Prime Minister Mark Carney's announcement of A Force of Nature: Canada's Strategy to Protect Nature, which includes an investment of $3.8 billion to protect and restore nature across the country. The Taskforce was assembled to advance Pillar 3 of the Strategy, which focuses on valuing nature and mobilizing capital.
During the inaugural meeting, members established a shared vision for their work to inform how to mobilize private investment in nature and integrate the value of natural capital into economic and policy decision-making. Members discussed the current state of natural capital accounting and nature finance in Canada, including obstacles and opportunities, and discussed the critical role that healthy ecosystems play in supporting long-term prosperity, climate resilience, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable economic growth.
The meeting resulted in broad agreement on priority themes and potential areas where the Taskforce can provide practical advice and leadership. Members began to identify opportunities for early action and highlighted the importance of developing recommendations that support informed decision-making by governments, businesses, investors, and other stakeholders.
The inaugural meeting fostered a strong spirit of partnership and collective ownership among participants. Members committed to working together to contribute their expertise and engage their networks, advance practical solutions, and champion the importance of integrating nature into economic decision-making.
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- A Force of Nature: Canada's Strategy to Protect Nature
- Canada launches new Expert Taskforce on Natural Capital Accounting and Nature Financing
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SOURCE Environment and Climate Change Canada
Contacts: Marie-France Proulx, Director of Communications, Office of the Secretary of State (Nature), [email protected]; Media Relations, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 819-938-3338 or 1-844-836-7799 (toll-free), [email protected]
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