Dear minister,

Congratulations on your appointment as the minister of energy and natural resources. You are now head coach for three crucial sectors of the Canadian economy: energy, mining, and forestry.

As you know, the prime minister has committed to a generational change, which will require bold ambition from his cabinet. His mandate letter outlined seven key priorities, and your portfolio has an important role to play in achieving these, not only the department of Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), but also its regulators, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), and the Canada Energy Regulator (CER). You have an especially significant role to play in “expediting nation-building projects,” “bringing down costs for Canadians,” and “spending less on government operations.”

In sports, there is a saying: “You cannot coach size.” We are fortunate that when it comes to natural resources, Canada has size—lots of size. We have almost everything the world needs—from conventional and unconventional energy to critical minerals to forest products. We are also known as socially and environmentally responsible—our oil and gas sector, for example, has made great strides in reducing carbon intensity—and we also offer a secure source of supply for countries worried about an increasingly turbulent international environment...

Dear minister,

Congratulations on your appointment as the minister of environment and climate change. You have found yourself right in the middle of passionate debates about how to balance the protection of Canada’s vast and diverse natural environment with the needs of an economy that depends heavily on resource development.

The prime minister has set an ambitious agenda for the new government and has outlined seven key priorities for his mandate. Your department has an important role to play in achieving these priorities, particularly “expediting nation-building projects,” “bringing down costs for Canadians,” and “spending less on government operations.”

Success will require reorienting Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) towards a more focused and outcome-based approach to protecting the environment while supporting economic growth...