On April 9, 2024, retired actuary and leader of CCL Waterloo Region Caterina Lindman and CCL Canada’s national director, Cathy Orlando, presented the stark data from our laser talk “The Uninsurable World” to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development (ENVI) as part of the committee meetings for Bill C-317: An Act to establish a national strategy respecting flood and drought forecasting. We were surprised to learn that Canada is the only G7 country without a national strategy for flood and drought forecasting. It was clear from many of the presenters that the cost of doing nothing to prepare for climate impacts on droughts and flooding would be frighteningly immeasurable. You can read the full submission here.
Here was our closing lines from our 5-minute statement:
As part of our strategy for managing drought and flood risks, we request that the National Strategy for Drought and Flood incorporate forecasts that model both business-as-usual scenarios and various mitigation scenarios. This approach will safeguard not only our insurable assets but also our agriculture sector, financial system, social stability, and national security. To quote the Right Honourable Brian Mulroney, “I think the government has to reposition the environment on top of their national and international priorities.”
