Lead Department: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Start Date of the Horizontal Initiative: April 1, 2004
End Date of the Horizontal Initiative: March 31, 2008
Total Federal Funding Allocation: $25 million over four years
Description
Involves the development of non-regulatory agri-environmental "performance
standards" (i.e., outcome-based standards) that will address both desired
levels of environmental quality, and the levels that are considered achievable
based on available technology and practice. These standards will be integrated
into management systems and practices used by producers and industry, which will
help reduce environmental risks and provide benefits to the health and supply of
water, the health of soils, the health of air and the atmosphere, and ensure
compatibility between biodiversity and agriculture. Standards will be developed
in four theme areas: Air, Water, Biodiversity and Pescicides. Soil Quality and
Climate Change will be considered across all theme areas.
Shared Outcome(s)
- Consistent national agri-environmental standards are available to support,
assess, and demonstrate progress towards the goal of environmentally
sustainable agriculture in Canada;
- Recognition of Canada's role as a world leader in environmentally
responsible agricultural production is advanced;
- Environmental farm planning and the move towards environmental farm
certification is supported;
- Uptake of national standards to benefit the health and supply of water,
soil, air and atmosphere; and
- Compatibility between agriculture and biodiversity is ensured. [MOU, Table
1: Results and Outcomes by Activity Area]
Governance Structures
The MOU Governance Model includes three levels:
- the Joint Management Committee (JMC) which approves costed work
plans with milestones, targets and indicators; reviews expenditures; and
reports semi-annually on results to the Deputy Ministers' Committee;
- the Deputy Ministers' Committee which reviews and recommends
the annual release of funds that are held in frozen allotment by Treasury
Board Secretariat (TBS), and recommends Ministers' approval of changes,
where objectives of this MOU change materially; and
- Ministers who approve changes where objectives of this MOU change
materially and who constitute the last resort for dispute resolution.
A TBS official sits as an ex-officio member on the JMC.
This MOU Governance Structure is supported by the Interdepartmental Director
General Working Group, which is the relevant Directors General of AAFC and EC
and the Senior Director at TBS.
Partners
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Environment Canada
Contact
John Giraldez
Manager, Agri-Environmental Policy
Agri-Environmental Policy Bureau
(613) 759-7305
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