Massey is Missing COP26 – Part II: International Diplomacy: What Ingredients Made COP21 In Paris a Success and Could We Do It Again?

In 2015, the countries of the world met in Paris and achieved consensus on a set of commitments to reduce carbon emissions and strive to reduce the pace of global warming. 2015 was considered a breakthrough in climate change ambition. We know now that we need much stronger commitments as science and data have continued to inform us. Can we recreate the momentum of 2015 in a much changed world in 2021 when the countries of the world again come together to negotiate? Kathleen Wynne was at the heart of the negotiations in 2015 – she will share her experiences from that momentous time, from her perspective as a senior member of Canada’s delegation for the Paris Climate Agreement negotiations.

Kathleen Wynne – MPP Don Valley West, former Premier of Ontario (2013-2018), joins Rushay Naik – Junior Fellow, Massey College, in an interview by Rosemary McCarney, former Ambassador of Canada to the United Nations (2015-2019), and the 2020-2021 Bill Graham Centre / Massey College Resident Visiting Scholar in Foreign and Defence Policy and Global Affairs.

Kathleen Wynne was first elected to the Ontario legislature in 2003 as the MPP for Don Valley West. She was Ontario’s 25th Premier and leader of the Ontario Liberal Party January, 2013 to June 2018.

Kathleen has dedicated her professional life to building a better province for the people of Ontario. She is guided by the values and principles that knit this province together: fairness, diversity, collaboration and creativity.

Kathleen has served as Ontario’s Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, Minister of Transportation, Minister of Education and Minister of Agriculture and Food. As the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Kathleen finalized a new funding agreement with the federal government to improve access to affordable housing.

As the Minister of Agriculture and Food, Kathleen championed Ontario’s $34-billion agri-food industry and brought in the Local Food Act.

In her role as Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, Kathleen worked in partnership with First Nations communities to address issues such as mining development, First Nations land claims, and improving quality of life for aboriginals living off-reserve through affordable housing and recreation programs.

As Minister of Education, Kathleen led the government’s efforts to reduce class sizes, implement full-day kindergarten and provide more opportunities for high school students to reach their full potential.

During Kathleen’s tenure as the Minister of Transportation, she secured a new transit expansion plan for Toronto including the Eglinton-Scarborough LRT, and oversaw Ontario’s largest highway investments, including the Highway 407 East Extension and the Windsor-Essex Parkway.

Rosemary McCarney is the Inaugural Pearson-Sabia Distinguished Visitor In International Relations at Trinity College at the University of Toronto as well as the incoming 2020/2021 Bill Graham Centre/Massey College Resident Visiting Scholar in Foreign and Defence Policy. She was Canada’s Ambassador to the United Nations and the Conference on Disarmament until the Fall of 2019. Rosemary’s career has spanned every sector of the economy from law, academia, technology, international development to multilateral diplomacy in over 100 countries.

Thank you for your interest in Massey’s five-part virtual climate series, Massey is #MissingCOP26. These online events are free and open to all. To learn about other events in the series and for more information, we invite you to visit our main page: https://www.masseycollege.ca/programs-and-events/massey-missing-cop26/