Speech

Minister Blaney.

Minister Arcand.

Distinguished guests. Thank you for joining me today.

It’s a genuine privilege to be part of this gathering today... to represent the Government of Canada in its shared stewardship role of the St. Lawrence.

As you know, the St. Lawrence is a major economic corridor which is responsible for the safe transit of billions in trade annually, and the source of tens of thousands of jobs, both direct and indirect, on both sides of the Canada-US border.  So a healthy St. Lawrence is critical to our economy.

While our continued economic recovery remains our Government’s top priority we are working to balance the need for a cleaner and healthier environment with protecting jobs and economic growth. 

Since 1988, when Canada and Quebec joined hands and jointly implemented the first St. Lawrence Action Plan, we have worked together to ensure that this mighty river--iconic in our shared past--remains healthy and vibrant in the future.

We are equally committed to share the responsibility to conserve... protect... and restore this remarkable natural resource.

I promise I’m not going to give you a history lesson, but I can imagine that when the first explorers discovered the St. Lawrence they must have realized the wealth and potential of these great waters.

And today we are reinforcing that collaboration even further.

Together with my colleague Minister Blaney, I’m pleased to announce that the Canada-Quebec St. Lawrence Action Plan has been renewed for another fifteen years to 2026.

Today, I will sign an agreement with my colleague from Quebec, Minister Arcand, and I look forward to closely working with him.

To date, our federal-provincial collaboration has built a solid foundation for ongoing success.

We’ve made progress with agricultural, urban and industrial clean-up initiatives... biodiversity conservation... and improving the health of riverside residents and natural habitats affected by contaminants in the river.

But our joint efforts must continue.

With this new Agreement, the Governments of Canada and Quebec will continue to share and build the resources and knowledge to protect the St. Lawrence and its incredibly diverse ecosystem. Our economy depends on this action.

Going forward, we will also sustain our joint focus on the key areas of conserving biodiversity, sustaining the use of the river and ensuring the quality of its water.

At the same time as we address the sources of pollution we already know we need to learn much more about nonpoint source pollution and its effects on human health and biodiversity.

By way of example, that means looking at agricultural sources of pollution in watersheds and flood plains... improving the tools used to manage contaminated sediment as part of our restoration mandate... and better understanding the presence and effects of emerging products like the residual pharmaceuticals that find their way into the river.

In addition to preparing plans to deal with invasive species of either plants or animals. We already have strong, effective ballast water regulations in place that have prevented new invasive species in the St. Lawrence, and we want to see this good work continue for the health of our economy.

We will identify, protect, restore and develop ecologically sensitive areas, including programs that delineate protected areas and conserve biodiversity in agricultural areas.

Under this new agreement we will also address the sustainable use of the river. We’ll do that by promoting responsible management of its fishery... identifying and developing public access sites... maintaining and promoting sustainable navigation through responsible dredging and the reduction of shore erosion... and consolidating hydrometric data about water levels and water release.

Renewing the St. Lawrence Action Plan has been a personal priority for me... and I am fortunate to have a partner in Quebec who shares that...

There are so many things that we need to do for our children and grandchildren every day...

And taking care of our natural heritage... of our forests, lakes and rivers, like the St. Lawrence... is something we need to put at the top of that list... for today and tomorrow.

Thank you.