Award presented by Senator Rosa Galvez in honour of outstanding work on environmental protection and climate action
On March 3, 2025, West Coast Environmental Law Staff Lawyer Anna Johnston received the prestigious King Charles III Coronation Medal – recognizing her exceptional contributions to Canada and the world through efforts to strengthen environmental protection and climate action.
The Coronation Medal was created to mark the coronation of King Charles III in 2023. It is being awarded to people who have made a significant contribution to Canada, a province or territory, a community, or the world in a way that brings credit to Canada.
Anna was one of 31 outstanding individuals nominated by Senator Rosa Galvez, who presented the medal at a ceremony in Ottawa on Parliament Hill. Following this exciting event, we sat down with Anna to reflect on the work being recognized through this award, and why it’s so important to continue pushing for strong environmental and climate laws in Canada.
Can you tell us a bit about how and why you were nominated to receive the King Charles III Coronation Medal?
Certain governmental and non-governmental bodies were allowed to nominate people for the medals, including senators. Senator Galvez, who has been an environmental and climate champion in Parliament since she was appointed in 2016, nominated a number of people who have been dedicated to protecting the environment, fighting climate change or advancing sustainable finance.
I love how she is using the opportunity to confirm and communicate the fact that working towards a more just and sustainable world is a service to Canada. Senator Galvez works incredibly hard to advance government action on nature and climate and I think deserves this medal at least as much as the recipients she nominated, but it was lovely that she nominated us.
What are some examples of the work you’ve done that led to you receiving this award?
I have worked with Senator Galvez on a number of environmental laws, including the Impact Assessment Act, the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act and Bill C-73, the Nature Accountability Act that we were trying to get strengthened and passed before Parliament was prorogued. Aside from legislation, I have been working to advance a strong oil and gas emissions cap, a credible federal climate plan, biodiversity protection in impact assessment, meaningful public participation and gender-based analysis-plus.
How does it feel to be recognized in this way?
It is an honour and really humbling. There are so many people working to secure a safe climate, healthy ecosystems and a more just world. The work can take a toll, particularly in these days when certain actors are trying to undermine our efforts through personal attacks and by painting environmentalists as enemies. The people I work with aren’t radicals, they are everyday people from all walks of life and a huge range of backgrounds, beliefs and experiences who have dedicated their lives to advance sustainability, sometimes at considerable personal cost. If I deserve a medal, I think they do, too.
This award is being presented to a wide range of Canadians who are doing important work in a variety of sectors across the country. Were there other recipients being honoured at the ceremony who are also working on issues related to environmental law or climate action?
Yes! Senator Galvez presented 31 Coronation Medals to recipients from across the country working to protect the environment and climate. There were 15 recipients at the ceremony I attended in Ottawa, including people working on nature protection, climate journalists, academics and youth leaders. I was delighted to see some longtime friends and colleagues also receive the medal, and got to meet new environmental champions doing terrific work. We had a reception afterwards where we got to learn more about what our fellow recipients are doing. It was a great reminder of how even if we aren’t working directly together, there are so many people rowing in the same direction.
See the full list of medal recipients honoured by Senator Galvez.
Photo: William Agnissan from WA Photography
Canadians – and others around the world – are facing a lot of uncertainty right now, with a rapidly shifting political landscape, economic threats, a high cost of living, and many other overlapping issues affecting our daily lives. In this context, efforts to deal with the climate crisis can often become overshadowed by other urgent and important issues. What are some of the biggest challenges you see in working to strengthen environmental protection and climate action in this context?
There is a false narrative that environmental protection and economic prosperity are at odds with each other. The Canadian Climate Institute estimates that by 2030, Canada could face up to $35 billion in losses to real GDP every year. The longer we delay climate action, the more expensive – and deadly – it becomes. Claims that we can’t afford to fix the climate crisis, especially claims by big industry, Big Oil and political actors, are the new climate denialism.
At the same time, we have to acknowledge that it is natural for people to want to stick with the status quo in times of deep economic and political instability, like we are experiencing right now. I think our number one job is to show how clean energy and sustainable jobs will help with both the climate crisis and the economy in the short and long term.
What gives you hope to continue your work despite these challenges?
The medal helps! (I’m only half joking.) In the last several years, I’ve seen a shift in the national narrative about climate change. It used to be that if it got headlines, it would be at the back page of national papers, and there was a real lack of buy-in among the mainstream media to acknowledge the urgency of the climate crisis and the need for action.
Over the past few years, that’s really changed. There has been lots of attention – in media, in household conversations, among everyday people – acknowledging that we need to act on climate. So that gives me hope. I think people really understand the reality and urgency of the issue now.
Why do you think it’s so important to be working on climate solutions right now in Canada?
It’s important to be doing this work because we are at the cusp of the point of no return. Parties around the world have agreed under the Paris Agreement that we need to work towards keeping to within 1.5 degrees of global warming, and we’re arguably at that tipping point already. So we can’t afford to wait. We need to keep up this narrative and keep up the momentum that we have gained over the past handful of years.
Do you have any advice or inspiration to share with aspiring environmental lawyers or others who want to make an impact by standing up for strong environmental and climate laws in Canada?
The work itself is really inspiring. It’s incredible to work alongside so many brilliant, talented and dedicated people. We have a great community of environmental and climate activists, lawyers, professionals and youth in Canada.
It can be really challenging – especially when we face setbacks to what we’ve gained. But the fact that we’re still moving forward and making progress toward more ambitious climate targets; more credible climate plans; more sustainable finance; better, stronger nature protection; and more inclusive, participatory and fair decision-making makes it really rewarding to see these advances in the implementation of the work we’ve been doing.
Congratulations to Anna, and to all of the recipients of the King Charles III Coronation Medal who are working toward environmental and climate solutions across Canada.
Top photo: William Agnissan from WA Photography