Government of Canada Hails Agreement on Montreal Action Plan at UN Climate Change Conference

MONTREAL, December 10, 2005 - The Government of Canada today hailed the agreement on the Montreal Action Plan following the successful conclusion of the eleventh Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the first Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol, held in Montreal from November 29 to December 9.

“This represents a major victory for the global community and the environment,’’ said the Honourable Stéphane Dion, Conference President and Canada’s Minister of the Environment. ‘’The Montreal Action Plan provides all of us with a clear roadmap for future work on addressing climate change globally.”

“I am proud to participate in the successful conclusion of this historic international conference on climate change,’’ said the Head of the Canadian Delegation, the Honourable Pierre Pettigrew. “Canada played a leading role in bringing the world together to achieve an outcome that will effectively address climate change for the long-term.”

The Montreal Action Plan is based upon the successes achieved under each of the key conference objectives - implementing the Kyoto Protocol, improving Kyoto as well as the Convention, and innovating the world’s future approach to cooperation on climate change.

The Montreal Action Plan’s five key components include:

• initiating discussions under the Convention on long-term cooperative action to address climate change;
• initiating discussions among Annex 1 Parties to the Protocol on the second commitment period (post 2012);
• advancing the Kyoto Protocol through a strengthened Clean Development Mechanism;
• moving forward the Program of Work on adaptation under the Convention and implementation of the Adaptation Fund under the Kyoto Protocol; and
• advancing discussions on the impacts of deforestation and technology transfer.

In addition, early success was reached through the adoption of the Marrakech Accords and agreement on a regime to ensure compliance under the Kyoto Protocol.

For more information, please contact:

André Lamarre
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of the Environment
(819) 997-1441