The following testimonial is from our 2015 Annual Report.

When I look around the room at an Ecofiscal Commission meeting, I see an amazing group of people. I see a former deputy minister of the environment chatting with the Conference Board of Canada’s chief economist. I see a former clerk of the privy council sipping coffee with the chair of Sustainable Prosperity and the president of the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council. Everywhere I turn, I see experts at the top of their fields with the same passion and goal: to make markets work for the environment.

As Commissioners, we have differences of opinion, but we’re economists. We’re born and bred to love a good argument. And I’m proud of what’s come out of those discussions: thoughtful and thorough reports that are helping decision-makers talk about ecofiscal policy in a meaningful way.

Given the talent and the effort behind the Commission, I probably shouldn’t be surprised by how well our work has been received. But I’m amazed how in the span of a year we’ve become a go-to source for sound policy.

I think our independence has been quite crucial to that overarching success. We’re not paid by government. We don’t have to have our analysis and reports vetted through bureaucratic machinery. We talk about the issues we believe are critical now, not just what is framed by the current political agenda.

A tremendous amount of credit also goes to our communications people. It’s one thing for a bunch of experts to develop a report. It’s quite another to turn that information into a story that resonates with the public and policy-makers instead of gathering dust on someone’s desk.

Of course, our Advisory Board has helped us get the attention of national media and decision-makers. Having respected leaders from across the political spectrum advocate our work raises our profile and adds to the Commission’s credibility.

Our goals are to inform, educate and influence the direction of our country so we can see the environment and economy work together. And the bottom line is that we can’t do that without the whole team — the Commissioners, the Advisory Board and our staff — all pulling together to make it happen.

We’ve set the bar high in 2015. Now, we have to continue to produce timely, useful and potentially provocative pieces. That’s our calling, and we can’t let up the pace.