On September 30, we assembled an international panel for a lively discussion about lessons learned from previous global economic crises and what must be done to get it right this time. The panelists shared varying approaches to, and philosophies behind, green stimulus deals in Germany, France, Canada, and at the EU level, including the role that business can play in making green stimulus more effective.
"It's not just a case of sticking a whole bunch of shovels into the ground," said Don Drummond (Queen's University) . "We need a new mechanism and new sources of growth in Canada. The traditional sources aren't working."
The panel featured:
Ambassador Sabine Sparwasser (Germany), Ambassador Kareen Rispal (France), Don Drummond (Stauffer-Dunning Fellow & Adjunct Professor, School of Policy Studies, Queen’s University, Canada), Rainer Agster (Executive Board Member, Adelphi, Germany), Richard Florizone (President & CEO, International Institute for Sustainable Development, Canada), Sanda Ojiambo (CEO & Executive Director, UN Global Compact), Claire Tutenuit (Déléguée Générale, Entreprises pour l’Environnement, France).
To watch the full recording of the roundtable, head to CKTV.
See our recent coverage of the EU budget deal for a taste of the discussion, as well as Shawn McCarthy's piece explaining the consequences of building back to business as usual.
About this series
In the spirit of globalizing a green recovery, Building Back Better Together explores key insights for how the international community can build back better post-COVID. The roundtables bring together Canadian, German and other European experts, policy-makers and business leaders to exchange insights from the current crisis to spark a global green recovery.
This virtual series takes place under the banner of Ottawa Climate Talks, initiated by the German Embassy, which have explored climate-related topics since 2015.
Our goal: To inspire Canadian and European decision-makers to seize this opportunity to Build Back Better Together.
These roundtables are aimed at policy-makers, business leaders, investors and civil society members from around the world, with a strong Canadian and European contingent. Each session will be preceded by a table-setting backgrounder by Shawn McCarthy, shared with registered participants in advance of the roundtable. The discussion will be international in breadth, with focused learning to support action across borders.
