Environment Canada has identified four departmental priorities that respond to current and emerging environmental and sustainable development issues, as well as to government-wide commitments. These are continuing priorities for Environment Canada, having been articulated in a stable fashion for the past several years within departmental accountability reports to Parliament.

The Department needs to continue to build towards an environmental management system for Canada that would develop lasting solutions to address the root causes of problems. Environment Canada is taking a long-term innovative approach to address immediate problems, while at the same time ensuring a sustainable environment for future generations. Such an approach must include knowledge and innovation as a foundation of action; domestic and international agendas operating in parallel; and partnerships to inform and engage citizens.

Priority #1: Reduce the Health and Environmental Impacts of Pollution

Environment Canada's approach to managing environmental problems that impact the health of Canadians continuously evolves. On a number of fronts, addressing environmental issues will be an increasingly central and more cost-effective approach to improving health outcomes. Our plan focuses on critical issues, which proactively ensure that Canadians will benefit from an environment that sustains their health.

Clean Air

Environment Canada continues to focus on the implementation of the federal government's Clean Air Agenda, which seeks to promote actions that reduce health risks and achieve physical improvements in air quality. Of particular note, in January 2003, Canada and the United States announced a commitment to build on transboundary air quality improvements of the last decade by starting work to develop new cooperative projects for the years ahead.

The Government's 10-year Action Plan on Clean Air has made substantial progress particularly on a vehicles and fuels agenda, the creation of Canada-wide Standards with the provinces and territories on the key air pollutants, through the signing of the Ozone Annex to the Canada - United States Air Quality Agreement, and the launch of joint pilot projects with the United States.

These efforts must be sustained. In particular, the issue of air quality must be part of a cities agenda as it is very much related to other urban challenges such as urban congestion, urban sprawl and sustainable transportation.

• For further details on Environment Canada's initiatives related to clean air, please refer to the work of the Clean Environment Business Line in Section 4.1.1
  
  

Toxic substances and other Pollutants

Environment Canada's primary vehicle for preventing and controlling risks posed to the environment and human health from toxic substances and other substances of concern is the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA 1999). The renewed Act adopts a precautionary and preventive approach to prevent harm to the environment and human health. Since CEPA 1999 was proclaimed in 2000, the Department has focused on:

• Developing commitments under CEPA 1999;
  
  
• Assessing and managing the risk from over a thousand new substances introduced into Canada each year;
  
  
• Developing strategies to meet the legislated timelines in CEPA 1999 to examine over 23,000 substances for the risks they pose to human health and the environment, and develop preventive or control actions for those found to be toxic; and
  
  
• Completing pilot studies to streamline the assessment procedures to ensure that all CEPA requirements (e.g. categorization of Domestic Substances List (DSL) substances by 2006) will be met.
  
  

The coming 5 year Parliamentary review of CEPA represents an opportunity to examine progress made in implementing CEPA 1999 and to identify areas for improvement, including where there may be new policy approaches to manage risk more effectively.

• For further details on Environment Canada's initiatives related to toxic substances, please refer to the work of the Clean Environment Business Line in Section 4.1.2
  
  

Priority #2: Move Forward on Climate Change

Addressing climate change is important to our competitiveness as well as to the health, safety and security of Canadians. More than half of Canada's GDP is affected by climate and weather including: forestry, agriculture, fishing, hydro-electricity generation, transportation and tourism. Climate change-related extreme weather events are affecting the safety and security of Canadians. Taking action on climate change will also help improve the health of Canadians, reduce the incidence of asthma and reduce health care costs.

Kyoto is an important first step in addressing global climate change and a new long-term international regime is imperative and inevitable. The Government of Canada is committed to the Kyoto Protocol and is determined to continue to move forward in ways that produce long term and enduring results. The larger challenge for all countries is developing and deploying the next generation technologies needed to make the transformative changes that will be required to make the economies of the world less carbon intensive and sustainable for the long term. Canada's long-term competitiveness will be determined by how we manage the situation overall.

Our approach to addressing climate change is based on our environmental and economic policy framework. The department and government are developing and implementing, in conjunction with provinces/territories and stakeholders, a national climate change plan to move Canada towards its Kyoto targets and beyond. As well, the global climate is already changing and Canadians are already seeing the effects of a changing climate, particularly in the North. Research and modeling into climate change impacts need to be expanded in order to better identify the areas and sectors in Canada that are vulnerable to a changing climate and enable the development of national, regional and local strategies to start adapting. The national climate change plan will include:

• New policies and programs to get further near-term and enduring emission reductions;
  
  
• Setting longer-term goals to make the deep emission reductions needed to successfully address climate change and starting to work towards them;
  
  
• Advancing the science and adapting to a changing climate; and
  
  
• Leadership in bridging to a new long-term international framework.
  
  

• For further details on Environment Canada's initiatives related to climate change, please refer to the work of the Clean Environment Business Line in Section 4.1.1 and to the work of the Weather and Environmental Prediction Business Line in Section 4.3.3
  
  

Priority #3: Sustain Our Natural Environment

Nature has driven the development of Canadian society from the time that communities were located near rivers and fur trading opened the western and northern frontiers. Maintaining and enhancing Canada's natural legacy is linked to the future social and economic well being of Canadians.

Environment Canada is continuing to shape and promote a natural legacy agenda aimed at conserving Canada's natural heritage. In setting our priorities, the Department will continue to strive towards the conservation, protection and sustainable use of the natural environment by developing more integrated ecosystem approaches to the management of our natural resources.

Broader Conservation Strategies

Environment Canada is building broad conservation strategies and protecting wildlife in order to ensure that biological diversity is conserved. A broad conservation strategy is required to recognize the shared responsibility of conserving nature between provincial, territorial and federal governments as well as private property owners, businesses, Aboriginal Peoples, conservation organizations, and research institutions. The Canadian Biodiversity Strategy provides a framework for action at all levels that will enhance our ability to ensure the productivity, diversity and integrity of our natural systems. We continue inter-jurisdictional collaboration and consultation as we move to implement the Strategy in the areas of improved stewardship, development of a national plan on invasive alien species, biological information management, and reporting on biodiversity status and trends.

• For further details on Environment Canada's broader conservation initiatives, please refer to the work of the Nature Business Line in Section 4.2.1
  
  

Wildlife

As of June 5, 2003, two-thirds of the Species at Risk Act (SARA) came into force. This allows for immediate benefits under the Act in the areas of assessment, listing, recovery and stewardship. Environment Canada has other tools and processes that address the broader range of issues in the area of nature conservation and stewardship. In addition to protecting species at risk through the implementation of SARA, Environment Canada will also continue its efforts related to its other mandated responsibilities, focusing on two fronts: the development of a Migratory Birds Program Strategy and the development of a Federal Protected Areas Strategy.

• For further details on Environment Canada's initiatives related to wildlife, please refer to the work of the Nature Business Line in Section 4.2.1
  
  

Leadership in Ecosystem Science

The ability to support and secure a clean and healthy environment for Canadians currently and in the future is dependent upon our capacity to understand how our ecosystems are affected by human activities that cause harmful stress and to transfer that knowledge to Canadians and the global community so that it can be incorporated into decision-making. Through ecosystem-based research, Environment Canada: monitors the environment to detect and warn Canadians of ecosystem change; creates the scientific knowledge required to understand the impacts of human activities on the health of ecosystems; develops science-based options, recommendations and tools to support the development of management actions and ecosystem rehabilitation techniques; and establishes science-based goals for the quality of the Canadian environment and the health of ecosystems.

• For further details on Environment Canada's initiatives related to ecosystem science, please refer to the work of the Nature Business Line in Section 4.2.2
  
  

Water

Water has emerged as a major science and policy priority for Environment Canada over the past 5 years. This issue area has been driven by public concern over incidents of water contamination and a growing national awareness that our water resources are finite and precious. Water is a classic example of where integrated management is required. Synergies need to be drawn from the new and innovative provincial water strategies, and through the increasing attention given to water in international fora such as the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD).

Environment Canada will continue to focus its efforts on leading the science, monitoring, and guidelines development that underpins water management in Canada. It will also work with provincial partners and the United States to manage transboundary water issues and develop watershed-based models of water governance. In addition, Environment Canada will work with other government departments, provinces, municipalities and industries to understand patterns of water use and improve awareness and use of innovative policy instruments such as water pricing. Finally, the Department will work within the international community to ensure Canada's international commitments on water are met.

To support the work on water, Environment Canada's Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC) is undertaking key initiatives to document and understand impacts on Canada's water resources. First, it is completing bilateral negotiations with all the provinces and territories to ensure the continual collection and archiving of nationally consistent water quantity data across Canada. Secondly the Meteorological Service of Canada is working with scientists from within the Department and with other government departments to produce a comprehensive assessment, entitled, "Threats to Water Availability in Canada."

• For further details on Environment Canada's initiatives related to water quality, please refer to the work of the Nature Business Line in Section 4.2.3
  
  

• For further details on Environment Canada's initiatives related to water quantity, please refer to the work of the Weather and Environmental Prediction Business Line in Section 4.3.1
  
  

Integrated Conservation Planning through Ecosystem Initiatives

No single area of society has direct accountability for Canada's natural environment. As a result, Environment Canada is working to pioneer a shift in the way in which we manage resources to ensure integrated conservation planning. To maintain the integrity of ecosystems, decisions related to human activities within those ecosystems must also be interconnected and coherent. The lack of recognition of this interconnectedness in the management of Canada's landscapes and seascapes has meant that the impact of efforts to conserve Canada's natural legacy has not been fully satisfactory.

Environment Canada's six ecosystem initiatives across Canada provide an example of integrated conservation planning in practice. These initiatives bring key decision-makers (e.g. land owners, municipalities) together on an appropriate geographic scale to examine what is happening in an ecosystem. They then determine, in a collaborative manner, how to best respond to issues included in the decision-making process, such as the implementation of a specific program.

Environment Canada is also working with other government departments on cross cutting conservation policy initiatives such as the Agricultural Policy Framework, National Forest Strategy, Canada's Oceans Strategy, and Arctic and Antarctic activities to ensure that nature priorities are included at the policy development and program implementation stages.

• For further details on Environment Canada's initiatives related to integrated conservation planning, please refer to the work of the Nature Business Line in Section 4.2.3
  
  

Priority #4: Reduce risk from Weather, Environmental Change and other Hazards

Climate variability, air quality and high-profile weather events are of considerable importance to Canadians and have raised interest in several sectors, including agriculture, shipping, construction, media, health, environmental conservation, forestry and recreation, and the public. These sectors seek longer lead times and increased accuracy for warnings, increased predictive capacities for long term climate and environmental conditions, and improved ability to predict the presence and levels of threats in air, whether from natural, man-made or public security sources.

To respond to these needs, Environment Canada's Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC) is focusing its efforts on a five-year transformation agenda that will strengthen the organization's overall operational and scientific capacity.

Weather Service Transformation

On March 13, 2003, the Minister of the Environment announced the investment of $75 million over five years to transform, strengthen and revitalize the Meteorological Service of Canada's operations and to improve overall service to Canadians - transforming the Meteorological Service of Canada's human and asset infrastructures, and its service, operations and research focus to deliver more effective, efficient and sustained response to the needs of Canadians. The investment will allow the Meteorological Service of Canada to keep pace with meteorological developments and to provide the best and most useful weather information and services possible to ensure the health, security, economic growth and quality of life for Canadians.

• For further details on Environment Canada's initiatives related to weather service transformation, please refer to the work of the Weather and Environmental Prediction Business Line in Section 4.3.1
  
  

High impact Weather and related Hazards

The importance of weather and environmental prediction services is increasing as Canadians become more vulnerable to severe weather and other hazards. The challenge to Environment Canada is to improve the quality, timeliness and availability of weather warnings to allow Canadians to reduce risks from environmental threats. This challenge can be met by taking action: focusing more attention on high-impact events and automating routine forecasts as much as possible; applying advances in science and technology; modernizing monitoring equipment; working with the media on standards and technologies to ensure timely and reliable delivery of warnings; and helping Canadians and industry better understand and reduce their vulnerability through enhanced emergency preparedness and response services.

Under the security package announced in December 2001, Environment Canada was allocated $20.5 million over six years to enhance environmental emergency regulations and border controls controlling the import/export of hazardous substances (including improved tracking of transboundary movements of hazardous waste). The skills, models, techniques and infrastructure Environment Canada uses to forecast and warn of weather-related hazards can also be deployed rapidly in environmental emergencies to forecast the effect of human-made hazards such as nuclear and chemical explosions.

• For further details on Environment Canada's initiatives related to high impact weather, please refer to the work of the Weather and Environmental Prediction Business Line in Section 4.3.2
  
  

Adaptation to Climate, Atmosphere and Water Changes

The Canadian public and various sectors are quickly becoming aware of the emerging risks of climate change and variability. In partnership with universities, provinces and the private sector, the Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC) commits to ensure that Canada has the meteorological, climatological and hydrological data, information and science capacity to support sound decision-making. The Meteorological Service of Canada will meet this need for very long term forecasting related to climate change, but also in continuing to support information needs for daily, weekly and seasonal decisions related to water levels, weather conditions and air quality at the local, regional, national and even at the international levels. This challenge is being met through a number of actions: improving climate prediction capabilities; continuing to assess and report on the state of the atmosphere and water cycle; acting as a catalyst for growth in the capacity of the meteorological private sector; improving access to data; and better defining services for weather-sensitive industries.

• For further details on Environment Canada's initiatives related to weather research, please refer to the work of the Weather and Environmental Prediction Business Line in Section 4.3.3