The Canadian Fuels Association announces changes at the top
The Canadian Fuels Association (CFA) has announced that Peter Boag is retiring and has stepped down as president and CEO of the trade group. Replacing Boag is Bob Larocque, who takes on the position September 8, 2020.
Boag tells OCTANE that his 13 years at the helm of the CFA saw considerable change in the industry as the sector pivots toward a carbon-neutral world. “The fuels sector continues to meet 95% of Canadians’ transportation energy needs – 42% of the total energy consumed by Canadians. It continues to be a safety record leader in Canada’s manufacturing industry. And, CFA members’ drive for ever better environmental performance continues unabated. Year-over-year sector performance has improved on virtually every key environmental metric – delivering cleaner operations and cleaner products for Canadians."
According to Boag, the CFA is working with-in the context of Canada’s long-term net-zero aspirations and is strongly focused on accelerating efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG)emissions by building on current accomplishments. “Reducing transportation emissions – 25% of total Canadian GHG emissions today – is the target of this effort,” he said.
Boag sees a future where consumer choices include reliable, affordable low-carbon liquid fuels.
“This future will require a policy environment that is stable, predictable and science-based. Unnecessary regulatory hurdles need to be removed. Policy instruments must respect technology-neutral solutions. Public policy has to create the conditions essential to private sector investment – investment that can help truly accelerate change. In all this, governments and stakeholders need to remain focused on reducing emissions, not ‘demonizing’ carbon – this paradigm allows for a multitude of solutions and reflects the range of options that Canada will need to deploy to achieve its climate change goals.”
Incoming president and CEO Bob Larocque will bring much to build on Boag’s accomplishments. He has been a successful public advocate on a host of fronts that relate to climate change. These include positions on innovation, indigenous engagement and environmental regulations. Most recently, Larocque served as SVP of the Forest Products Association of Canada. He also comes from leadership positions at Environment Canada where he focused on mitigating the risk of toxic substances on the environment. He holds a B.Sc. in chemical engineering from the University of Ottawa.
Kelly Gray can be reached at [email protected]