Canada to host the 2014
CEC Council Session in Yellowknife
March 4, 2014 – Ottawa, Ontario – Environment
Canada
Today, Minister Aglukkaq, Chair of the Commission
for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), announced
that Canada will host the 2014 CEC Council
Session in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories,
on July 17, 2014.
Canada is pleased to
chair the CEC as it celebrates its 20th
anniversary and to host the first Council
Session in Canada’s North. Canada looks
forward to welcoming senior environment
officials from the United States and Mexico,
members of the Joint Public Advisory Committee,
and engaged North American citizens to participate
in a productive Council Session that will
celebrate trilateral achievements through
the Commission’s cooperative program and
foster a dynamic discussion on the future
of the CEC.
The CEC announced today
the recipients of the 2013-2015 North American
Partnership for Environmental Community
Action (NAPECA) grant program, which supports
activities to address environmental challenges
at the community level. In total, 18 projects
from across the three countries were selected
to participate in the program. The four
Canadian projects selectedwill receive a
total of $398,322 in funds and will focus
on issues ranging from climate change, water
quality management, and biodiversity conservation.
Quick Facts
The CEC was established in 1994 under the
North American Agreement on Environmental
Cooperation (NAAEC), the environmental side
agreement to the North American Free Trade
Agreement (NAFTA).
The CEC is an intergovernmental organization
established by Canada, Mexico and the United
States to support cooperation on shared
environmental issues, such as sustaining
healthy communities and ecosystems, addressing
climate change and moving to a low-carbon
economy.
The NAPECA grant program was established
by the CEC in 2010 to promote model environmental
initiatives that build long-term partnerships
and improve environmental conditions at
the community level. The current budget
for the NAPECA grant program is $1.2 million
over two years.
Quotes
“Canada has been a proud partner of the
CEC for the past 20 years. Our successful
collaboration with the United States and
Mexico on collective environmental priorities
continues to help foster the conservation,
protection, and enhancement of our shared
North American environment. I look forward
to welcoming our partners to the 2014 CEC
Council Session in Yellowknife later this
year, and to continuing our work to preserve
and protect the environment.”
– The Honourable Leona
Aglukkaq, Minister of the Environment, Minister
of the Canadian Northern Economic Development
Agency and Minister for the Arctic Council
“The CEC is proud to
support projects at the community level
that bring engaged citizens and governments
together on key environmental issues in
North America.”
– Irasema Coronado,
Executive Director of the Commission for
Environmental Cooperation
