28 Federal Departments and Agencies Present Sustainable Development Strategies to Parliament

Ottawa - February 14, 2001 - The Government of Canada is mobilizing its departments to promote economic development in harmony with social progress and environmental innovation. This sustainable development approach will increasingly shape how government makes decisions.

Environment Minister David Anderson today presented twenty-eight Sustainable Development Strategies to Parliament. The new strategies are an improvement on an initial plan launched in 1997. The improvements include:

• clear priorities and action plans, including advancing sustainable development in the North, in communities, and promoting eco-efficient practices in the private sector;
• strategies to enhance the capacity of Canadians to support sustainable development - for instance, through community action and improved access to knowledge and information;
• an even stronger emphasis on promoting an enhanced quality of life for Canadians; and
• measurable targets to improve reporting on progress to Canadians.

"I am very encouraged by the commitment to action evident in these strategies," said Minister Anderson. "In my remarks at the 21st Session of the United Nations Environment Programme Governing Council, I stressed the need for innovation and determination as we promote our international sustainable development goals. These strategies reflect Canada's commitment to integrate economic, social and environmental considerations in a practical, results-oriented manner."

Natural Resources Minister Ralph Goodale agrees that the new strategies are an important step forward. "Respecting the needs, values and property interests of all users of the land and its resources is essential to making progress on sustainable development," said Minister Goodale. "This type of balanced approach is the Canadian way, and the extensive consultations with Canadians that departments have undertaken in developing sustainable development strategies will help us achieve that balance."

In preparing their Strategies, departments were guided by the definition of sustainable development as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."

A good example of sustainable development is the First Nation Forestry Program, a partnership between the Government of Canada and Canada's First Nation peoples. Aboriginal people see the forest as vital to both their traditional way of life and their economic future. Aboriginal participation in the forest based economy will ensure that traditional Aboriginal environmental knowledge is integrated into forest management principles and practices.

The new strategies are designed to produce tangible, well-defined benefits.

"This new set of strategies proves that sustainable development is not abstract, it is a practical tool for making decisions that can improve our lives," Health Minister Allan Rock noted. "We are just beginning to explore the social implications of sustainable development. It is already clear, though, that this approach can help protect and promote health by improving our physical and social environments, and by encouraging positive lifestyle choices."

By setting specific and well-defined targets, the new sustainable development strategies respond to recommendations previously expressed by the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development. The updated strategies also build on the recommendations of formal reviews conducted by individual departments and agencies and on the advice received during extensive consultations with stakeholders, partners and clients.

The emphasis across departments on incorporating the advice received during consultations reflects the Government's commitment to promote sustainable development through effective partnerships with Canadians from all walks of life.

In addition to its domestic actions, Canada is playing an active international role by strengthening the capacity of developing countries to meet the challenges of sustainable development through financial support, knowledge and technology transfer and related activities.

The tabling of the second generation of Sustainable Development Strategies is one of the ways in which Canada is implementing the commitments it made in Agenda 21 at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992 to advance sustainable development.

Related Documents :

• Highlights of Updated Sustainable Development Strategies [backgrounder, 2001-02-14]
• Sustainable Development Strategies: Evolution of the Federal Approach
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