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Good evening ladies and gentlemen.

Thank you for allowing me the pleasure of addressing this event tonight on the second day of Environment Week 2004.

This is a week focusing on the impact individuals can make towards a cleaner environment, healthier communities and a better quality of life for all from coast to coast to coast.

Activities happening across Canada this week, like the Let’s Drive Green auto clinics and the Commuter Challenge, demonstrate how we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions with a quick tune-up or simply by taking public transit.

These activities show a greater number of Canadians every year that a lot of good can be achieved by the power of one.

Tonight’s event continues the focus on individual impacts or, rather, outstanding individuals and their exceptional impacts.

I’m sure I’m not the only one here tonight familiar with the famous quote by Mohandas Gandhi which reads “We must be the change we want to see in the world.”

Without question, those words apply to tonight’s honourees.

Moving to more sustainable practices to preserve, protect and improve the environment is a challenge before us all that requires concrete action now.

As an example, take the recent announcement made by Alberta’s Environment Minister Lorne Taylor who’s here tonight. On May, 6 Lorne announced Canada’s first provincial ‘e-cycling’ program. In his words:

“Albertans care deeply about the environment, and have always demonstrated their willingness to take personal responsibility to make a difference. This program will just enable them - no matter where they live in Alberta - to make sure their old and used electronics are a resource, not a risk, to future generations.”

The efforts of tonight’s award winners also exemplify such action.

Certainly, when it comes to environmental matters, this is the path Canada walks on the international stage.

Among other priorities, the latest Speech from the Throne emphasizes the need to evaluate Canada’s role in the world and determine how we can work to achieve the kind of world we want to see in 10 years.
As we all know, the environment is neither a local, provincial, regional or national matter.

It’s something the world shares in, and must work on together.

This is why agreements like the Border Air Quality Strategy, signed by Canada and the United Sates in 2003, are so important.

We are also dedicated to decisive action at home, and Budget 2004 delivered, with more than $3.5 billion dedicated over 10 years to clean up contaminated sites for which the Government is responsible.

When it comes to cleaning up our own backyard, we know actions by government alone are not enough.

It requires cooperation among all levels of government, federal, provincial, territorial and municipal.

The Throne Speech committed to a New Deal for Communities.

The New Deal is about all three orders of government working together and in partnership with the private and not-for-profit sector.

Tonight is a testament to this spirit.

Tonight’s event is made possible thanks to a cumulative effort between the Government of Canada, Canadian Geographic and a wide array of private sector partners. Tonight, we celebrate the actions of our honourees who inspire all Canadians to do their part in meeting the challenge of our time.

The Government of Canada knows that if we are to succeed, all Canadians need to be involved, and we are engaging Canadians directly in climate change action through the One-Tonne Challenge.

Climate change; environmental health; conservation; environmental learning; sustainable living; restoration and rehabilitation.

These are not only tonight’s award categories.

They are the chapter headings in a book we must all write together, with actions rather than words, by being the change we want to see today, for a cleaner, healthier more sustainable community, country and world tomorrow.

Certainly, tonight’s honourees, with their more than commendable actions, have authored an inspiring introduction.

Please join me tonight in celebrating their success.

In closing, I invite you to turn your eyes to the screen and view footage from “the Great Warming,” a new television series on the Discovery Channel that serves as another effort to raise awareness on the importance of environmental action.