Speech

Check against Delivery

I am always delighted by any opportunity to talk about Environment Canada, Parks Canada, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, and the many things we’re doing on a number of important fronts.

It’s a particular honor to be here before Members of the Senate, to have the chance to give you an update on our progress. I’m already well acquainted with several of you from our respective, previous lives… and that’s why I made sure to bolt the doors behind me when I arrived. Escape is futile.

Since we last met in March, there have been some significant political and economic changes in Canada. Politically, there’s a Conservative majority government. On the economic front, global pressures – most recently the European and United States debt crises – have added a new measure of volatility and uncertainty to our domestic economy. I am thankful we have men like Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Finance Minister Jim Flaherty at the helm to help guide our country through these uncertain times.

What has not changed, however, is the Government’s commitment to proactively address a wide range of environmental issues both here at home and internationally.

Internationally, we’ve been actively participating in a number of fora to address important issues to Canadians whether it is conserving biodiversity, protecting the Arctic environment, reducing mercury emissions, or looking after endangered species. 

Of key importance have been the negotiations ahead of the upcoming annual United Nations climate change conference, which is in South Africa this year. Frankly, based on the tenor of the talks to date, our expectations of the outcome at COP 17 are relatively limited. It would appear that many countries that adopted the Cancun Agreements last December now have a case of buyer’s remorse, and seem unwilling to commit to a process by which their mitigation actions will be subject to international review.

For our part, Canada remains committed to our Copenhagen Accord target, which is now inscribed in the Cancun Agreements. To reduce Canada’s Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by 17 per cent over 2005 levels by 2020, we remain committed to the necessity of establishing a new multilateral regime that includes all major emitters.

As it always does, getting consensus on a final text from 192 parties is generally a wild ride right down to the wire. But it can and must be done.

We continue to work through other international events to address climate change as well… among them, the Major Economies Forum (which just met in Washington) and the North American Commission for Environmental Co‑operation (which Canada hosted in June in Montreal). Both of these meetings advanced our efforts to work with our international partners to address climate change and improve our environment.

In the case of climate change, our goal remains to have a new international regime that includes all major emitters and to take concrete actions to limit global warming. To that end, I recently attended a meeting in Mexico to discuss short-lived climate forcers. It is critical that we address these climate forcers if we wish to meet the two degree target set out in the Cancun Agreement.

As part of our commitment to addressing climate change and as part of promoting a better environment for all Canadians, we have done considerable work.

Using a sector-by-sector approach that began with the transportation industry and vehicle emissions, we’re about 25 per cent of the way there.

That includes draft regulations tabled this past summer to phase-out the use of dirty coal to generate electricity in Canada.

A couple of things worth noting about this process.

First, Environment Canada is determined to get these environmental regulations right. And that means we’re taking the time to consult extensively with provinces, territories, businesses, communities – a wide range of stakeholders. It takes time, it takes trust, it takes a willingness to really listen – not just go through the motions.

Second, we want to be as transparent and as deliberate as possible as we proceed. Especially at a time of such economic uncertainty and market volatility, we understand that businesses do not need any more surprises. We understand that there’s an economic environment that’s every bit as sensitive as our natural environment. And if we want to encourage investment and job creation, we have to be clear and consistent about regulations and standards. 

That is also why – where it makes sense – we are aggressively pursuing a regulatory agenda that aligns with our United States partners. We understand that – with such an integrated North American economy – we need to align our efforts to be able to effectively protect our shared environment, as well as our economy.

I’ve talked a fair amount now about our GHG reduction strategy. And while it is a crucial piece, it’s only one element in a much broader plan.

Clean water and clean air are top societal as well as environmental priorities.

We’ve established a framework for improving water, air and biodiversity monitoring in the area around Alberta’s oil sands development. To do that, we consulted with the world’s leading scientists in the related fields. That peer-review process was invaluable and it is ongoing, as is our work with Alberta, local communities and the oil sands companies.

We’ve also pushed further forward with the Action Plan for Clean Water. In early September, I announced funding for the seventh round in the cleanup of Lake Simcoe in Ontario. Over the last four years, Environment Canada has spent over $17 million to clean up Lake Winnipeg and invested in 169 partnered projects in the Great Lakes remediation initiative. The fourth phase of the St. Lawrence Plan has been completed, and we will be ready to announce the fifth Canada-Québec agreement on the St. Lawrence in the near future.

By the end of this year, after extensive consultation with provinces and municipalities, we plan to table draft regulations that would establish the first national wastewater standards for Canada.

And we are working intensively with provinces and territories, industry and environmental groups to develop a new, better, system for air quality management across the country.

We’ve also sharpened the tools we use to regulate and to enforce the rules.

The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency remains actively involved in supporting the Canadian economy and the sustainability of the environment through the delivery of timely, high-quality environmental assessments. In support of this work, in June we announced regulations that streamline environmental assessments conducted by the Agency.

Our enhanced Chemicals Management Plan takes a proactive approach to developing a world-class stewardship of chemical substances, assessing the risks attached to the most hazardous and protecting against the damage they can do. Environmental Defence has gone so far as to categorize our Chemicals Management Plan as “an important and valuable program”, with an A+ grade for timeliness and effective risk management of chemicals currently in use by Canadian industry.

And then there is one of Canada’s crown jewels: Parks Canada, which is celebrating its 100^th anniversary.

This year, Parks Canada accepted a prestigious recognition by World Wildlife Fund-International: the Gift to the Earth Award. This award, recognizing our leadership in protecting, restoring and connecting our lands, our waters, our nature and our people, belongs to all Canadians, the entire Parks Canada team and all its partners.

In accepting the Gift to the Earth award, Parks Canada has rededicated itself to the task of protecting the Earth and inspiring more people to do the same.

The splendor of our national parks – and I don’t use the word “splendor” lightly – is an integral part of the Canadian identity. Each one is entirely unique. Each one reflects conservation of our remarkable natural heritage. Each one is a source of pride.

In this time of economic uncertainty, it has never been more important to find hope and inspiration for the future. And it is in our national parks where Parks Canada offers Canada the best kinds of hope and inspiration.

Each day in Canada's protected heritage areas, we are inspiring a Canada in which its people are connected to the land, to its stories, and to one another and are more likely than ever before to be able to give Canada a strong and healthy future.

Over the past five years, our Government has accelerated the pace at which we protect Canada's natural diversity, growing Parks Canada’s protected natural areas by close to 50 per cent. This growth has been done through significant, tangible actions that will add 130 000 square kilometres to Canada’s protected areas.

When we look at our conservation accomplishments we can look first to Canada’s North, where we have expanded Nahanni National Park Reserve to six times its original size and made commitments to protect the world’s Arctic Serengeti of Lancaster Sound.

We can also look to the west of Canada, where we are once again demonstrating world leadership through the establishment of Gwaii Hanaas National Marine Conservation Area Reserve and Haida Heritage Site. We have extended the area protected from the top of the alpine mountains to the bottom of the ocean floor beyond the continental shelf. 

We can look to the Prairies where in Grasslands National Park black-footed ferrets and bison once again are free in land that is becoming restored.

We can look to the Great Lakes where we are once again leading the world in the protection of water ecosystems. A short 5 years ago we created the world’s largest freshwater protected area in Lake Superior.

There is now greater recognition by many countries that protected areas will be a key tool for climate change adaptation. By establishing more parks and restoring the health of existing parks, we will be strengthening the resilience of Canada’s environment by protecting water sources and providing safe havens for wildlife in the future.

This government has expanded existing parks and created new ones to the point that Canada now protects close to 100 million hectares – about 10 per cent of our entire land mass. That’s a 30 per cent increase in the past four years alone.

To ensure that the spirit of conservation thrives in future and increasingly urban generations, we launched a program that teaches a new generation of Canadians how to camp. We preserved our national heritage through the restoration of iconic lighthouses like Fisgard on Vancouver Island and Point Clark in Ontario.

Our park in Jasper has become the world’s largest dark sky preserve – to the delight of astronomers around the world.

I could tell you at length about our new plan to protect fragile species like the caribou… or our aggressive new enforcement measures to punish those who break our rules. But I don’t want to run the risk of overstaying my welcome.

I trust I’ve left you with a clear sense of our direction and our actions, as well as an understanding of our national and international strategy to ensure that Canada conserves and protects its precious environmental heritage for future generations of Canadians.

It’s a stewardship, a responsibility, which comes as close to a sacred trust as you’ll ever find. It’s a body of work that is constantly evolving – domestically and internationally.

There is no question that it is challenging. And there is no question that we will meet every challenge.

Truly, I thank you for this opportunity and I look forward to answering your questions.