29/09/2005 – On behalf of
the Government of Canada, Federal Environment
Minister Stéphane Dion today welcomed
the 2005 Report of the Commissioner of the
Environment and Sustainable Development (CESD).
“My Cabinet colleagues respect and value the
Commissioner’s advice,” Minister Dion said.
“We are listening and taking action. In fact,
work has already started on some of the recommendations
that she has just made.”
Recommendations made by the CESD this year
deal mainly with Canada’s Oceans Action Plan,
Canada’s National Parks, the safety of drinking
water, and federal strategies on sustainable
development. The Minister feels that the Government
has made significant progress this year in
environmental matters. He highlighted the
creation of the Ad Hoc Committee of Cabinet
on Sustainability and the Environment, the
fact that Project Green is now in operation,
and the updated Climate Change Plan, “Moving
Forward on Climate Change 2005: A Plan for
Honouring our Kyoto Commitment”, is being
implemented.
Project Green includes action plans to improve
energy efficiency and waste management, conserve
biodiversity, protect water, clean up contaminated
sites, ensure cleaner and healthier air and
reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Project Green
is designed to unite Canada’s economic strategy
with its environmental policy.
In responding to the CESD report, the Minister
acknowledged that much remains to be done
in the specific areas analyzed by the Commissioner.
He also made the point that moving forward
on Canada's sustainability agenda requires
action in other areas. In many of these, much
environmental progress has been achieved over
the last year. Examples include:
• To preserve marine ecosystems and biodiversity,
the government recently passed Bill C-15,
an Act to amend the Migratory Birds Convention
Act and the Canadian Environmental Protection
Act. The Act, which came into force in June,
substantially enhances Canada’s ability to
deal with oil deposited into the marine environment
by extending its enforcement regime to the
outward edge of the Exclusive Economic Zone.
• To protect the ecological integrity of Canada’s
national parks, Budget 2005 allocated $269
million in additional funds. This is good
news for the preservation of the natural environment,
and good news for the economy. National Parks
are not only a magnificent part of Canada’s
heritage, they also contribute $1.2 billion
to Canada’s GDP - the equivalent of 38,000
full time jobs. The Parks are an essential
source of revenue for Canada’s tourist industry,
for many communities and for Canada’s aboriginal
people.
• The Government of Canada's agenda for water
is also substantial. It includes the five-year
Water Management Strategy to improve water
and wastewater services for First Nation reserve
communities; the $28 million that Budget 2005
devoted to the first phase of the government's
Oceans Action Plan; and the Canada-wide management
strategy for municipal wastewater effluents
currently in development.
Recently, the Prime Minister asked the Environment
Minister to provide leadership and guidance
in the preparation of sustainable development
strategies by federal departments and agencies.
As part of this new role, the Minister will
work with his Cabinet colleagues to ensure
greater coherence and integration of sustainable
development priorities and activities across
the government.
Minister Dion feels that this new mandate
strengthens the Government of Canada's commitment
to both environmental sustainability and economic
competitiveness. “Through the enhanced coordination
now taking place within Project Green, our
action plans for clean air, water, nature,
contaminated sites and climate change will
provide enormous benefits for Canadians. They
will also be linked by an improved decision-making
process – a new framework for competitiveness
and environmental sustainability. We are moving
forward, and I am confident that future reports
will chart the progress we are making.”
