Financing Climate & Nature: COP 30 Highlights and Next Steps
- Nov 26, 2025
8:30-11:00 AM EST - Smith Toronto, 200 Front St. W., Toronto, 30th Floor, Rm 174
A decade after the Paris Agreement, COP30 brought global leaders to the edge of the Amazon rainforest to attempt to accelerate action on climate and biodiversity at a time when Paris targets are increasingly in doubt.
“Paris was a time of international agreement; Belém is the time of implementation,” said Correa do Lago, Secretary for Climate, Energy and Environment at Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and President of COP30. The Brazilian presidency has focused on the efforts of subnational governments, communities and businesses to drive action and finance solutions.
Following on the heels of COP 30 at Canada Climate Week Xchange, this expert panel convened by CPA Canada and the Institute for Sustainable Finance reflected on developments in Brazil, and discussed how Canadian and global decision makers can finance the innovations we need to protect nature, spur climate adaptation and scale up emissions reductions.
This was a by-invitation event held in person at the Smith School of Business facility in downtown Toronto.
Moderator
Taryn Abate
Director of Research and Thought Leadership, CPA Canada
Taryn Abate is the Director of Research and Thought Leadership at CPA Canada. In this role, she builds strategies for exploring emerging issues impacting the CPA profession and works with a team of professionals to execute research and develop thought leadership that guide future directions for the profession. Taryn represents CPA Canada on the Accounting for Sustainability (A4S) Accounting Bodies Network and the Global Accounting Alliance’s Sustainability working group.
Presenters
Hon. Nathalie Provost
Secretary of State (Nature), Government of Canada
Throughout her career, Nathalie Provost has demonstrated a deep commitment to public well-being. A graduate of Polytechnique Montréal in Mechanical (1990) and Industrial Engineering (1993), she served over two decades in senior civil service roles before entering politics. Elected MP for Châteauguay—Les Jardins-de-Napierville in 2025, she became Secretary of State (Nature), leading Canada’s goal to protect 30% of land and marine areas by 2030. A survivor of the 1989 Polytechnique femicide, she received the Canadian Medal of Bravery and became a prominent gun control advocate. Honoured by NAWL in 2024, she continues to inspire resilience, leadership, and advocacy for women in engineering.
Joy Williams
Nature Lead, Taskforce on Nature-Related Financial Disclosures
Joy Williams brings a multi-disciplinary approach to climate change and nature strategy. She moved from traditional engineering to climate change and then finance over 20 years ago and has since worked in government, policy, strategic consulting, and private markets including as a technical subject matter expert for large, mature asset owners such as Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan and the New York State Common Retirement Fund. Joy was a technical lead in the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) and she is currently working with the Taskforce on Nature-related Disclosures on nature-related opportunities.
Nura Taef
Partner, Lead, ESG Reporting Advisory, Audit & Assurance at Deloitte
Nura Taef, CPA, CA, is a Partner in Deloitte’s Assurance practice in Toronto. She leads the ESG Reporting Advisory practice for the Canadian firm and is the Deputy Global A&A Sustainability & Climate Services leader. In these roles, Nura advises clients on assessing, quantifying, and communicating climate and broader sustainability risks and metrics in corporate reporting. She is also a member of Deloitte’s Global Expert Advisory Panel on Sustainability Reporting and a member of Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada’s Sustainability Advisory Committee.
Valérie Courtois
Executive Director, Indigenous Leadership Initiative
Valérie Courtois is the executive director of the Indigenous Leadership Initiative and a leading expert on the national movement of Indigenous-led conservation and stewardship building across Canada. She is a member of the Innu community of Mashteutiatsh, located on the shore of Peikuakamit in the heart of what is now known as Québec. Before becoming the Director of the ILI in 2013, Courtois served as a forestry advisor for the Assembly of First Nations of Québec and Labrador, forestry planner for the Innu Nation, and as a consultant in Aboriginal forestry. She has received numerous awards including the Shackleton Medal for Protection of the Polar Regions and was named to the 2023 TIME100 Climate, the inaugural list of most influential climate leaders.
Thomas Walker
Executive Director (Academic), Institute for Sustainable Finance
Thomas is Executive Director (Academic) for the Institute for Sustainable Finance at Smith School of Business, Queen’s University. He is also a Professor of Finance at the John Molson School of Business, Concordia University, and Director of the Jacques Ménard - BMO Centre for Capital Markets. He holds a BSc in Management Information Systems (US-equivalent) from the Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany, and an MBA and PhD degree in Finance from Washington State University. Dr. Walker joined Concordia University in 2001. Prior to his academic career, he worked for several years in the German consulting and industrial sector at such firms as Mercedes Benz, Utility Consultants International, Lahmeyer International, Telenet, and KPMG Peat Marwick.
David-Alexandre Brassard
Chief Economist, CPA Canada
David-Alexandre Brassard is CPA Canada’s chief economist. In his role, he produces multiple types of content, does presentations for members and leadership, as well as represents the organization and acts as a spokesperson for the media. Prior to joining CPA Canada, he was working as a manager for a consulting firm specializing in economic and strategic studies. He follows our labour and financial market as well as economic news more broadly. Personally, he shares CPA Canada’s interest for financial literacy.