Harmonization

On January 29, 1998 the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment, with the exception of Québec, signed the Canada-wide Accord on Environmental Harmonization and related Sub-agreements on Standards, Inspections and Environmental Assessment.

Harmonization of environmental management means that federal and provincial governments will work together to achieve the highest standards for the environment. This approach recognizes that many of our environmental problems, such as ozone depletion, climate change and smog, cannot be solved by any one government.

With input from Canadians, federal and provincial governments will decide on the environmental problems that need to be addressed collectively. They will establish objectives in each area, then agree on the actions each government will take to achieve them. For example, the federal government could take responsibility for inspecting products to prevent the use of a toxic chemical, while provinces could take responsibility for inspecting industries to ensure that the chemical is not released into the air or water. But no matter who does what, each government remains responsible for enforcing its own laws and for ensuring that the agreed upon objectives are met.

The Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment have established a joint web site the Harmonization initiative.

To view the most up-to-date information related to Harmonization, visit:

http://www.ccme.ca