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    Canadian Political Science Association
    2020 Annual Conference Programme

    Confronting Political Divides
    Hosted at Western University
    Tuesday, June 2 to Thursday, June 4, 2020
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    Presidential Address:
    Barbara Arneil, CPSA President

    Origins:
    Colonies and Statistics

    Location:
    Tuesday, June 2, 2020 | 05:00pm to 06:00pm
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    KEYNOTE SPEAKER:
    Ayelet Shachar
    The Shifting Border:
    Legal Cartographies of Migration
    and Mobility

    Location:
    June 04, 2020 | 01:30 to 03:00 pm
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    Keynote Speaker: Marc Hetherington
    Why Modern Elections
    Feel Like a Matter of
    Life and Death

    Location:
    Wednesday, June 3, 2020 | 03:45pm to 05:15pm
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    Plenary Panel
    Indigenous Politics and
    the Problem of Canadian
    Political Science

    Location: Arts & Humanities Building - AHB 1R40
    Tuesday, June 2, 2020 | 10:30am to 12:00pm

Law and Public Policy



D15 - Environmental Justice and Canadian Public Policy

Date: Jun 4 | Time: 08:45am to 10:15am | Location:

Chair/Président/Présidente : Andrea Olive (University of Toronto)

Discussant/Commentateur/Commentatrice : Heather Millar (University of Ottawa)

Equitable benefit sharing of Extended Continental Shelf and Deep Seabed Resources: The Contribution of Justices Theories: So Youn (Annie) Kim (University of Waterloo (Balsillie School of International Affairs))
Abstract: In this research, I will examine equitable benefit sharing regimes of mineral resources located in the deep seabed and extended continental shelf (ECS). As these resources are located in areas beyond national jurisdiction (in the case of deep seabed mineral) or subject to special rules of benefit sharing agreement (in the case of ECS resources), they are considered resources the benefit of which must be shared equitable among all states. The requirement for benefit sharing is identified in the United Nations Conventions of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), but the Convention does not specify how the equity is to be achieved. Thus, an important and unexplored line of inquiry is to determine the principles upon which the monetary benefits should be distributed among states. The objective of this research is to explore contribution of justice theories in producing theoretical and practical insights as to the basis and manner of distribution of shared resource benefits in global settings. The text of the provisions and background history of their negotiations suggest that equitable benefit sharing has strong North-South dimensions. However, practical application of these provisions remains legally and politically unclear (Harrison 2015; Circop 2004; Mossop 2016; Lodge 2016). This research reflects Canada’s current interests in ECS resource extraction. From a scholarly perspective, this research seeks to contribute to the conceptual interpretation of equity in the context of shared ocean resources. From a more practice-oriented perspective, this research aids in developing policies for allocation of commons resources.


Identités nationales, hydroélectricité et politiques climatiques : une analyse comparative entre le Québec et Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador: Valérie Vézina (Kwantlen Polytechnic University), David Houle (N/A)
Abstract: Le Québec et Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador possèdent un potentiel hydroélectrique important. Souvent considérée comme verte, le développement de cette source d’énergie dans ces provinces est devenu un élément important de leur identité nationale. Dans cette communication, nous posons la question suivante : comment les politiques en changements climatiques sont-elles influencées par le développement de l’hydroélectricité devenue partie intégrante de l’identité nationale des peuples québécois et terre-neuvien? L’argument que nous présentons est que, dans le cas du Québec, l’hydroélectricité comme élément identitaire a contribué à créer une perception que la province peut bénéficier d’un virage vers une économie sobre en carbone. Pour le Québec, les politiques climatiques semblent donc présentées une source importante d’opportunités économiques, contribuant à expliquer le leadership de la province pour la création d’un marché du carbone. Pour Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador, le même processus n’est pas observé. L’insularité, en partie, de cette province rend les changements climatiques plus menaçants, amenant une insistance plus grande sur les mesures d’adaptation. Une économie provinciale affectée par les aléas des prix des ressources naturelles et axée sur le développement du pétrole en haute mer posent des obstacles supplémentaires à l’adoption de politiques climatiques ambitieuses pour Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador. Ces facteurs expliquent le parcours différent de ces provinces malgré les parallèles historiques importants quant à l’hydroélectricité et son influence sur l’identité nationale. Notre conclusion est que le développement de l’industrie pétrolière peut avoir un effet plus grand sur l’élaboration des politiques climatiques que l’identité nationale.


Environmental Justice for Saskatchewan's Fossil Fuel Economy: Nathan Olmstead (University of Toronto), Andrea Olive ()
Abstract: How the global community can mitigate climate change is a topic of intense debate among climate, energy, and environmental scholars. There is increasing consensus that a transition away from fossil fuels is necessary, but how to achieve a “just” transition remains unknown. Canada has committed to a 30% decrease in emissions – a goal that is virtually impossible within participation from large fossil fuel economies such as the one in Saskatchewan. However, in 2016, Saskatchewan was the first (and at the time only) province to reject the national Pan Canadian Framework and a price on carbon. Across Canada, the politics of a transition from oil and coal to renewable energy is fraught with conflict around federalism and governance. Using an environmental justice framework, this paper analyzes how environmental organizations and the public in Saskatchewan think about a “just transition” in the province, in Canada, and globally. Using survey data, the paper examines distributional justice (sharing benefits and burdens), procedural justice (the process to decide distribution), and justice-as-recognition (the identity of actors involved in the process). Ultimately, it is argued that Canada must heed greater attention to identity and process in any policy that impacts the social costs of decarbonizing energy sources and economies. Canada cannot met its reduction targets with Saskatchewan, and Saskatchewan cannot transition off fossil fuels without a significant focus on environmental justice.


Participants:
Annie Kim (University of Waterloo)
Nathan Olmstead (University of Toronto)
Valerie Vezina (Kwantlen Polytechnic University)



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