Empire Club - Hon. Catherine McKenna

The Honourable Catherine McKenna

Minister of Infrastructure and Communities

Resilience and Regeneration: Building out of a Pandemic and into a More Inclusive Low-Carbon Economy

Nov 3, 2020

The most devastating global pandemic in a century is more than a health crisis. It has damaged economies, cost jobs and widened existing social inequalities. But it has also illustrated the strength of Canada’s communities, the critical importance of resolute government action, and our willingness to help one another build back better. Smart public infrastructure investments create good jobs, help people and neighbourhoods most in need, and build sustainable, resilient communities for the low-carbon economy of the 21st Century.

Keynote Speaker:

The Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities

In 2015, Catherine McKenna was elected the first female Member of Parliament for Ottawa Centre and appointed Minister of Environment and Climate Change. She was re-elected in 2019 and serves as Minister of Infrastructure and Communities.

Catherine is a resident of Ottawa Centre, a mother of three, an avid swimmer and canoeist.
As the former Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Catherine helped negotiate the Paris Climate Agreement and Canada’s first climate plan with a price on pollution, expanded parks and protected areas across Canada, and brought in the Impact Assessment Act to protect the environment and build a stronger economy. As Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, she is working with communities to build thousands of projects, create jobs and build a cleaner, stronger and inclusive country.

Catherine previously worked as a lawyer in Canada and Indonesia, was a negotiator with the UN peacekeeping mission in East Timor, taught at the Munk School of Global Affairs and co-founded the charitable organization Level Justice.

Moderated By:

Shawn McCarthy, Senior Counsel, Sussex Strategy Group

Shawn McCarthy is an independent writer and senior counsel at Sussex Strategy Group, with a particular focus on energy and climate change. Shawn is retired from The Globe and Mail and was a national business correspondent covering global energy.

Shawn’s career at The Globe and Mail also included the role of Parliamentary Bureau Chief, serving as chief political writer, and New York City correspondent, covering U.S. corporate stories and international political stories at the United Nations. Prior to his significant tenure at The Globe, Shawn also worked at The Toronto Star, Canadian Press, and the Alberta Report magazine. He has also taught journalism courses at Carleton University.

In addition to his role with Sussex, Shawn continues to write for various publications and serves as the president of the Canadian Committee for World Press Freedom, a volunteer advocacy group based in Ottawa.