Speech

Good morning,

When you’re a kid, your birthday is something that you look forward to with great excitement and anticipation. After a certain point in life, however, marking the passage of yet another year isn’t necessarily something you rush to celebrate with quite the same exuberance. There are exceptions, however, and I count Environment Canada’s 40^th birthday--which we’re here to celebrate--among them.

I’m especially pleased to be here in Vancouver to mark the department’s 40^th anniversary (which is just a more sophisticated way of saying it’s our birthday). And what would such a special birthday be without a present? Thanks to the city of Vancouver, we don’t have to find out.

Thank you Mayor Robertson and residents of Vancouver for declaring June 11 Environment Canada Day in your spectacular city. It’s all the more meaningful because of the strong connection Vancouver has with the environment and its commitment to such a number of urban green initiatives.

Birthdays, at least when you turn 40, are an opportunity for reflection on the accomplishments of the past and the challenges ahead. In the case of Environment Canada, we’ve got plenty of both.

Without question, the urgency of the issues facing our environment--and our department--has never been greater. But neither have we had better talent and better tools to face those challenges.

Greater public awareness is an absolutely critical component of our success--and the community of Vancouver is doing us--and ultimately itself--great good by dedicating this day of recognition to Environment Canada.

We are resolutely committed to ensuring that cities like yours have the best possible quality of air and water, that residents can enjoy the beautiful forests in and around Vancouver, fully confident that the trees and the animals and plants will be protected. We are committed to conservation through our greatly-expanded national parks systems--which by the way turns 100 this year. Another birthday in the family!

Thank you for this recognition and, through it, for your contribution to the stewardship of Canada’s environment. It’s a present we can all enjoy on this birthday--cake and balloons can wait until the department turns 50.

Thank you.