Expert Taskforce Signals Action on Natural Capital Accounting and Nature Finance

The Government of Canada’s Expert Taskforce on Natural Capital Accounting and Nature Financing, a commitment under their “A Force of Nature” strategy, marks an important step toward recognizing the essential role nature plays in Canada’s long-term economic prosperity.

Canada’s Nature Advantage welcomes the Taskforce, which aligns with long-standing recommendations advanced by our network and others. This body allows Canada to move beyond commitments and take action to account for nature as an asset that should be measured and valued in investment and policy decisions.

Delivering “A Force of Nature”

The Taskforce has the potential to help embed nature into economic decision-making by:

• Integrating nature into public accounts
• Creating the conditions to mobilize private capital at scale
• Expanding the supply of investment-ready nature projects
• Building trusted systems to measure nature’s value

Together, these actions can help align land-use decisions, public finance and capital allocation – an essential shift toward a competitive, nature-positive Canadian economy.

Building a Foundation for Success

The creation of the Taskforce is an important milestone, but success will depend on moving quickly from strategy to implementation. To maintain momentum, it will be important that the Taskforce:

• Operates under a time-bound mandate (12–18 months) with clear outputs
• Delivers early, actionable recommendations to inform Budget 2026, the 2027 Spring Economic Update and Budget 2027
• Effectively involves Provincial, Territorial and Indigenous Governments in the development and implementation of its recommendations
• Establishes strong cross-departmental coordination – bridging environment, finance, agriculture, natural resources and Indigenous priorities

Informing the Path Forward

While the Taskforce develops its recommendations, Budget 2026 represents an immediate opportunity to lay the foundations required for success. Canada’s Nature Advantage has identified five policy building blocks that are essential to enable accelerated implementation of the Taskforce’s work. Together, these measures address the core structural barriers—data, valuation, risk, and governance—that currently limit investment in nature. These policy recommendations are informed by a strong body of research developed by our network, including our flagship report: Realizing the Value of Nature to Unlock Billions for a Stronger, More Resilient Canadian Economy.

Canada has an opportunity to build a more resilient and competitive economy by realizing its unique advantage: nature. The farmers, forest managers and Indigenous Peoples who steward our natural landscapes hold the key to billions of dollars in unrecognized value. We look forward to working with the Taskforce and the Government of Canada on turning this vision into reality.