Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment

Ottawa, November 2, 2004 -- Federal, provincial and territorial environment ministers today agreed to work towards an environmental sustainability framework for Canada in order to attain the highest level of environmental quality as a means to enhance the health and well-being of Canadians, preserve and protect the natural environment, and advance our long-term competitiveness, while respecting the jurisdictions of each government.

To this end, they will meet again at the beginning of March 2005 to agree on a draft framework that will serve as a basis for consultations towards a framework agreement which will be reviewed by Ministers in June before they seek approval within their respective jurisdictions by the Fall of 2005.

Ministers noted that more emphasis is being placed globally on the emerging role of environmental sustainability. Citizens, investors and markets are all demanding improved environmental performance, and for that reason environmental sustainability is emerging as a key ingredient for competitiveness and success.

“We are working towards a fundamental change in our approach to environmental management, so that environmental sustainability underpins our decisions,” said Stéphane Dion, President of the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME), and federal Minister of the Environment. “Our goal is to integrate environmental quality with economic development and social values,” he said.

Ministers provided advice to the federal Minister of Environment as part of his preparations for the upcoming review of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999. CCME is a forum for collective provincial and territorial environmental input to the recommendations that the federal Ministers of Environment and Health will provide to the Parliamentary committee that will review the Act.

A presentation by the Ouranos Consortium on climate change adaptation provided valuable context for a discussion among Ministers. Ministers focused on the effects of climate change in Canada’s North. Climate change will be on the agenda at the ministerial meeting of the Arctic Council in Reykjavik, Iceland, later this month.

Ministers reiterated their commitment to develop a Canada-wide standard (CWS) by 2005 to substantially reduce mercury emissions from the coal fired electricity generation sector. They also explored options to reduce emissions from wood-burning appliances, which release various air pollutants and are a primary source of winter smog in some municipalities.

CCME received and released interim reports on progress towards achieving the CWS for dioxins and furans, and on the implementation of the CWS for petroleum hydrocarbons in soil. Ministers also received a report on the development of a national strategy for municipal wastewater effluent to be completed in 2006.

Ministers noted with satisfaction the development and release of Canada-wide principles for electronics product stewardship since the 2003 CCME meeting. The principles will be used to assist and support jurisdictions in the development of e-waste programs.

The 2004 CCME meeting was a carbon-neutral event.

CCME is the major intergovernmental forum in Canada for discussion and joint action on environmental issues of national and international concern. The Hon. Kerry Morash, Nova Scotia’s Minister of Environment and Labour, now takes over the presidency of CCME, which rotates among jurisdictions on an annual basis.

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