| November
16, 2005 – On November 16, 2005, the Honourable Stéphane
Dion met with members of CORIM (Montréal international
relations board) at the Hyatt Regency Hotel to discuss
issues relating to the Montréal 2005 Climate Change
Conference. The meeting was part of a series of activities
to prepare for Montréal 2005: The United Nations
Climate Change Conference to raise awareness among Canadians
of the approach Canada will be taking at the 11th Conference
of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change and the 1st Meeting of the Parties to
the Kyoto Protocol.
“As Minister of the Environment, I
feel very privileged to chair this conference. But, I
am also very humbled by this monumental task,” said Minister
Dion.
According to an extensive poll by
the Centre for Research and Information on Canada that
was released last week, protecting the environment has
become the top priority of Canadians. No less than 78
percent of Canadians believe that better protection of
the environment is a priority. Nearly nine out of ten
Canadians, or 88 percent, support Canada’s commitment
to implementing the Kyoto Protocol.
“The objective of the Montreal Conference
will be, first and foremost, to agree on key decisions
to implement the Kyoto Protocol, which came into effect
in February 2005; to make improvements to some Kyoto mechanisms;
and to set an agenda for a future approach that is effective
and inclusive,” Minister Dion said. “It provides a unique
opportunity to generate support for strong global action
on climate change.”
A series of dynamic parallel events
will ensure Montréal 2005 reaches well beyond the
negotiations taking place inside the city’s Palais des
Congrès. These events will give delegates and the
public alike the opportunity to view a wide range of perspectives
and solutions to the global challenge of climate change,
and allow people from all sectors and backgrounds to exchange
information and learn from the experience of others. The
parallel events are expected to attract 2,000 to 3,000
people.
Organized by a wide-range of partners,
these activities aim to raise participant awareness to
the causes and impacts of climate change and to present
Canadian with innovations, technologies and measures in
this respect.
Montréal 2005 will be held
November 28 to December 9, 2005. |
