Remarks by Superintendent Peter Routledge at the Responsible Investment Association Virtual Conference

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Jun 23, 2022

On June 7, 2022, Superintendent Peter Routledge spoke at the 2022 Responsible Investment Association annual virtual conference. He discussed OSFI’s role in mitigating climate change risks as they relate to the financial industry, and the release of OSFI’s draft Guideline B-15 on Climate Risk Management.

In his speech, he encourages investors to provide input on the draft guidelines in an effort to ensure we get smart and effective regulations relating to climate risk management.

The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) issued a draft version of Guideline B-15: Climate Risk Management. This guideline proposes a prudential framework that is more climate sensitive and recognizes the impact of climate change on managing risk. The draft Guideline sets the stage for OSFI’s expectations of federally regulated financial institutions.

Climate-related risks, including physical and transition risks, could have significant impacts on the safety and soundness of financial institutions, and the broader Canadian financial system. Building financial resilience against intensifying climate-related risks requires institutions to address vulnerabilities in their business model, their overall operations, and ultimately on their balance sheet.

OSFI is also introducing mandatory climate-related financial disclosures aligned with the international Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) framework. These disclosures will incentivize improvements in the quality of the institutions’ governance and risk management practices related to climate. In doing so, this contributes to public confidence in the Canadian financial system by increasing transparency. This also aligns with a commitment made by the federal government to require financial institutions to publish climate disclosures starting in 2024.

Review the press release on the OSFI's website.

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