In November 2019, the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) launched its report “Locked In and Losing Out: British Columbia’s fossil fuel subsidies.” This report continues a series of IISD inventories documenting fossil fuel subsidies in Canada. In this report, IISD describes an extensive array of subsidies that cumulatively contribute to increased fossil fuel use and production in B.C.
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Action items to support increased environmental, economic, and social policy efficiency in the province
Recommendation 1: Completing a self-review of all fossil fuel subsidies, including those listed in this report (see Annex 1). The self-review process should be consistent with WTO principles for subsidies and follow a process similar to other reviews that have been done at the G20 level. The process should be advised by an independent panel of experts on fossil fuel subsidies (e.g., the OECD, subsidy experts, representatives from other governments who have completed subsidy reviews, etc.). The review should also include estimates of the portion of certain subsidies that apply to fossil fuels and other sectors, so that the fossil fuel portion can be easily identified. All subsidies should be evaluated based on their environmental, social and economic costs, and of their ability to meet government policy priorities, including those related to climate change.-
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Action items to support increased environmental, economic, and social policy efficiency in the province
Recommendation 2: Publicly releasing all data related to government expenditures on existing fossil fuel subsidies, including those listed in this report. This will support increased transparency on fossil fuel subsidies, particularly on the subsidies in Annex 1 that are currently unquantified due to lack of available data. We note that although transparency is vital for informed public debate about subsidies, with the current limited level of data it is still possible and necessary to consider whether these subsidies are a good use of public resources and to examine options for reform.-
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Action items to support increased environmental, economic, and social policy efficiency in the province
Recommendation 3: Coordinating with the Government of Canada as it completes its G20 peer review of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies. Because federal policies impact provincial policies (and vice versa), increased coordination will improve governments’ abilities to undertake subsidy reform.-
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Action items to support increased environmental, economic, and social policy efficiency in the province
Recommendation 4: Leveraging results from a provincial self-review of fossil fuel subsidies for effective provincial planning. BC can develop a timeline and implement an action plan to phase out fossil fuel subsidies and develop alternative policies that achieve provincial priorities without incentivizing the consumption or production of polluting fuels.-
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Action items to support increased environmental, economic, and social policy efficiency in the province
Recommendation 5: Establishing a clear mandate for provincial policy to ensure that no new fossil fuel subsidies are introduced.-
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