Ottawa launched a new expert taskforce on August 7, 2026, to integrate natural capital accounting into public and private economic decisions. The initiative builds on a $3.8 billion federal funding commitment to protect Canadian ecosystems while mobilizing private capital for long-term economic resilience.
Building a National Strategy for Natural Capital Accounting
Canada’s natural assets provide the foundation for the country’s economic prosperity, yet current investments fall short of the scale required to protect them. To address this gap, Secretary of State (Nature) Nathalie Provost and Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature Julie Dabrusin announced the creation of the Expert Taskforce on Natural Capital Accounting and Nature Financing in Ottawa.
The newly formed group brings together specialists from conservation, Indigenous-led conservation, finance, economics, business, and public policy. Its primary mandate is to deliver independent advice to the federal government on measuring, valuing, and incorporating nature into decision-making.
According to the government, collaboration, innovation, and new investment strategies are necessary to protect nature, and the Taskforce on Natural Capital Accounting and Nature Financing will bring together experts from various sectors to help the government better understand the value of nature and find innovative ways to mobilize investments for conservation.
Funding Ecosystems and Mobilizing Private Capital
The taskforce arrives as part of a broader federal push. Its creation stems directly from Prime Minister Mark Carney’s announcement of A Force of Nature: Canada’s Strategy to Protect Nature, which anchors the government’s conservation agenda with an injection of $3.8 billion to protect and restore nature across the country.
Over the coming months, the taskforce will draft recommendations designed to channel private investment into nature-positive outcomes. By advancing natural capital accounting, the group aims to ensure that the value of nature is better reflected in both public and private decision-making.
Consulting Indigenous Partners and Diverse Sectors
Structuring an economy around natural capital requires broad collaboration. The taskforce will hold consultations with Indigenous partners, alongside a series of meetings and roundtables aimed at gathering perspectives from various actors and sectors.
These engagement processes will help shape effective financial mechanisms and government policies intended to strengthen Canada’s nature economy. The ultimate goal is to build long-term economic resilience.
A Cross-Sector Roster of Appointed Specialists
Taskforce members serve in their individual capacities, representing a wide array of professional backgrounds and geographic regions across the country.
- W.L. (Vic) Adamowicz, Professor Emeritus, Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Alberta
- Hari Balasubramanian, Founding Managing Partner, EcoAdvisors; Board Member, Nature United
- Valérie Courtois, Executive Director, Indigenous Leadership Initiative
- Dr. Andrew (Andy) Day, Chief Executive Officer, BC Parks Foundation
- Dr. Stewart Elgie, Jarislowsky Chair, Clean Economy and Innovation; Professor of Law and Economics, University of Ottawa
- Joanna Eyquem, Vice-President, Climate Risk Institute
- Craig Losos, Vice-President, Central Canada, Nature Conservancy of Canada
- Bertrand Millot, Head of Sustainability, La Caisse
- Geneviève Morin, Retired President and Chief Executive Officer, Fondaction
- Dr. Lara O’Donnell, Executive Director, Weston Family Foundation
- Dr. Paige Olmsted, Director, Research and Strategy, Nature Investment Hub
- Jonathan Parenteau, Director of Corporate Finance, Scout Engineering and Consulting; Professor, University of Ottawa
- Renée Pichard, Member, International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board; Chair, Natural Resources Project
- Robyn Seetal, Founder and Principal, IkTaar Sustainability Advisory
- Dr. Rashid Sumaila, Canada Research Chair, (Tier I) in Interdisciplinary Ocean and Fisheries Economics, University of British Columbia
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