Agreements, Legislation, Regulations and Committees
A variety of management instruments or mechanisms are used to guide us to our clean air objectives, including:
This section of CAOL focuses primarily on management instruments or mechanisms involving the Government of Canada. To learn more about what provinces and territories are doing for clean air, as well as various municipalities, visit Canadian Governments Taking Action.
These instruments or mechanisms are all inter-related. However, they differ in scale (i.e., global, bi-lateral, national) and their function or role. For instance, broad high-level commitments are the basis of agreements. Plans and programs outline a more detailed path to meet agreement commitments. Explicit standards and actions are then identified in response instruments and regulations.
Committees are the groups of people behind each of these tools. They perform a variety of tasks including development, steering, coordination, implementation, and review.
Finally, legislation provides the legal framework to secure compliance with the requirements found within instruments and regulations.
For more information on Agreements, Legislation, Regulations and Committees, visit the following sites:
- Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade: Database of Canada's International Environmental Commitments
- Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999: Environmental Registry
- Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME): Publications
- International Joint Commission (IJC): Publications
Agreements
Generally contain high-level commitments between two or more parties that may include principles, roles and commitments, emission reduction goals and targets, and specific actions to deal with an air pollution problem.
Response Plans / Programs
Documents that lay out a menu of actions that a jurisdiction plans to undertake to reduce air emissions, often in response to commitments in an agreement.
Response Instruments / Regulations
Documents which implement the terms and conditions of a specific emission reduction action (e.g. regulation, a notice requiring preparation and implementation of a pollution prevention plan, a memorandum of understanding or other agreement) , or which recommend targets for emission reduction or beneficial practices (e.g. guidelines, codes of practice) for a source, source sector or product..
Legislation
Set of legal rules through which a jurisdiction takes action on a particular subject-matter. The law may also contain obligations imposed on governments or citizens, or on both. It usually provides the enabling authority to develop response instruments or regulations.
