Exhibit 6

Action on climate change should be linked to a broader environment and sustainable development plan

The federal government has many environment and sustainable development responsibilities and initiatives, among which climate change is particularly important. But, as I have reported in past years, the government has no overall plan to explain to parliamentarians and Canadians its environment and sustainable development goals and how they will be reached. My reports, and those of two parliamentary committees, have called on the government to develop such an overall sustainable development strategy. A commitment to act on the recommendations was made by the Privy Council Office, but not carried out.

Such a strategy would be a means to do the following:

• Educate Canadians on the environment and sustainable development challenges and opportunities facing Canada in the coming decades
• Provide a clear, compelling vision of the sustainable Canada that the federal government seeks
• Set out the government's key priorities
• Better explain individual initiatives by linking these to the vision and priorities
• Identify the targets and indicators by which the government will demonstrate results
• Help ensure coherence among the individual departmental sustainable development strategies