Notes for an Address by the Honourable David Anderson, P.C., M.P. Minister of the Environment on the Occasion of the Canadian Pollution Prevention Roundtable April 26, 2002 Québec City, PQ

Speech delivered by the Hon. David Anderson P.C., M.P., Minister of the Environment

Thank you. It is a pleasure to address the Canadian Pollution Prevention Roundtable. On behalf of the Government of Canada, I would like to thank our organizers, the Canadian Centre for Pollution Prevention.

Canada has no higher environmental priority than preventing the release of contaminants into the ecosystem. Many of our goals - from climate change and clean air to clean water - hinge upon our success in this regard.

Since 1997, the Canadian Pollution Prevention Roundtable has been a powerful voice for promoting environmental excellence. I want to thank the government officials, business people, and non-governmental experts who have gathered here to engage in this discussion.

This dialogue is one that the Government of Canada is committed to bringing into the mainstream. Pollution prevention is the responsibility of all Canadians. By establishing the right legislative and policy framework, we can better engage all sectors in this effort.

The movement towards pollution prevention picked up considerable momentum with the Federal Strategy announced in 1995. However, our work will continue for some time. And our success will depend on finding the right balance between regulation, flexibility, innovation, and voluntary action.

We are learning by doing. And we are finding that, in some cases, we have to set down tough rules to protect the health of humans and ecosystems. But over the longer-term, more substantial progress will be achieved through continual improvements in the way our society operates.

As we move down this path, the Government of Canada has recognized its obligation to show leadership by integrating the principles of pollution prevention into our own operations. Our deeds, as well as our words, must indicate a strong desire to eliminate sources of pollution, wherever they occur.

The sixth annual federal Pollution Prevention Progress Report, released earlier this week, highlights the government's achievements in implementing the 1995 Federal Strategy.

The Progress Report shows that federal government departments are taking action on waste management, water and energy conservation. It also notes that the Federal Action Plan 2000 on Climate Change has strengthened the government's leadership role in addressing this challenge and in sustaining our environment.

Beyond moral obligations, greening government also delivers substantial environmental results. The Government of Canada is a significant user of land, buildings, and transportation. By actively reducing greenhouse gas and toxic pollutant emissions, we can seize many "quick-wins" that reduce the flow of pollution into the environment.

The Federal Building Initiative and Fleetwise Program have been especially important in helping us achieve these reductions.

Together with provincial and territorial governments, business, communities, and organizations, we look forward to building a sustainable economy that incorporates the principles of pollution prevention.

The renewed Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) is one of the most important tools available to us. It responds to the shift in environmental protection in Canada from "clean up" to prevention. And it gives us a range of tools to follow through.

CEPA authorities regarding clean air are among the most exciting aspects of the legislation. These provisions will help the government to ensure that Canadians have cleaner air to breathe.

Regulations passed under CEPA include the Sulphur in Gasoline Regulations and the Federal Halocarbon Regulations.

Earlier this month in Toronto, I had the pleasure of announcing new measures to bring cleaner vehicles to our streets. They will help clear the air and reduce the impacts of pollution on our natural environment and our health.

The proposed On-Road Vehicle and Engine Emission Regulations call for cleaner vehicles to be available in Canada starting September 1, 2003. It is estimated that the proposed regulations will contribute to the following emissions reductions from new on-road vehicles in Canada: nitrogen oxides (-74%), particulate matter (-64%), carbon monoxide (-23%) and volatile organic compounds (-14%). This measure will also result in decreased emissions of several pollutants, including benzene and acrolein which have been declared "toxic" under CEPA.

CEPA allows us to act decisively to protect Canadians from substances that are most dangerous to human health. However, regulations, by their very nature, focus on a minimum standard. We need regulations to ensure compliance, but they do not promote excellence in environmental management.

Just look at this year's CCME P2 award winners: IBM Canada, Dana Canada, Calgary Transit, the Cambridge Memorial Hospital, and School District 43 in Coquitlam BC.

They went beyond compliance and they did so with vigour and determination.

IBM Canada Bromont Plant achieved a 73% reduction in air emissions for perchloroethylene. Not only did they keep chemicals out of the environment, they also realized significant cost savings.

The Cambridge Memorial Hospital has achieved reductions in its biomedical waste, and eliminated chemical pesticides on medical grounds. They have also integrated energy conservation as part of an evaluation process for new products and equipment.

Calgary Transit has been recognized for its visionary "Ride the Wind" program that will avoid the generation of 26,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year.

These organizations and many others have shown how effective voluntary initiatives can be in achieving environmental and health benefits for all Canadians. We must hold them up as examples of an emerging business model in Canada.

We have to stop the worst polluters. But we need an equally appropriate response that encourages those who want to do more than the bare minimum.

The Accelerated Reduction and Elimination of Toxics (ARET) program was created with this goal in mind. ARET provides Canada with a solid foundation to achieve further progress in voluntary environmental management initiatives.

By working together, companies and organizations targeted 117 substances and are keeping over 27,000 tonnes of toxic pollution out of the environment each year.

This is a considerable achievement. However, we can and we must do more. We must expand the list of targeted substances. And we must increase the range of tools and incentives to encourage more companies to work with us.

I will soon launch the program to succeed ARET. It will challenge companies to commit to voluntary targets to reduce use and emission of pollutants; experience has shown us that success will depend on measurable reduction targets and rigorous verification of performance.

The new program encourages innovation, is based on solid science, and promotes partnerships amongst industry, ENGOs, government and the Canadian public.

We have also taken a hard look at the identified weaknesses of the initial program. The new ARET responds to the recommendations of the Commissioner of Environment and Sustainable Development. It addresses the criteria and principles for voluntary initiatives put forward by the New Directions Group. And we have incorporated the eight core design criteria of our new Environmental Performance Agreements (EPA) framework.

I encourage those of you who represent industrial concerns to explore your options for participating in the ARET 2 program. We are confident that this non-regulatory environmental management approach can be an effective option in reducing and eliminating selected pollutants.

As part of this effort to align our economic and environmental goals, I approved the implementation of the Policy Framework for Environmental Performance Agreements. Since June, this document has been guiding the development of environmental agreements that include, Environment Canada, other federal departments, other governments, and, of course, industry.

The Policy will improve the management of priority substances, including CEPA toxic substances.

For example, a recent MOU between Canada, Alberta, Ontario and the Canadian Chemical Producers' Association (CCPA) will lead to continuous improvements in the management of CEPA toxic substances. This agreement captures over 80% of chemical production in Canada. It also includes the participation of environmental non-governmental organizations, STOP and Pollution Probe.

Environmental Performance Agreements also set out a process for industry, government and the public to build a common vision for environmental goals and a mutually beneficial course of action.

The debate over CEPA showed us that Canadians - from various walks of life - want to be heard on environmental issues. Environmental performance agreements are a good step towards meeting this legitimate desire.

Strong regulatory action to reduce emissions of toxic substances will always be available if voluntary measures don't produce the desired results. However, our long-term goals will remain fixed upon prevention planning and continual improvements that lead to a healthy natural environment and a productive society.

The challenge is clear: a growing economy with a shrinking ecological footprint.

As we all know, not only large facilities or companies contribute to pollution. That means preventing pollution is not just for big business. It is everybody's business.

Promoting environmental excellence within small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) is central to this challenge.

SME's are recognized as one of the major engines of economic growth in Canada. Improving their environmental performance is one of the best ways to ensure that future job growth is based upon a solid, sustainable foundation.

However, SME's face a number of barriers. They don't always have the resources or access to expertise that is essential to environmental efforts. Many don't have the financial capacity to make investments that might take years to realize a return on the bottom-line.

The Enviroclub^OM program was developed by Environment Canada and Canada Economic Development to help SMEs improve their environmental performance and, ultimately, achieve greater profitability.

I am pleased that the Club experience is being shared here at one of the Roundtable sessions.

These experiences show that pollution prevention can be accomplished by companies of all sizes and in every line of business.

For example, Cycles Devinci, a manufacturer of aluminum bicycles and bicycle frames modified its paint spraying process to achieve a four-tonne reduction in VOC emissions. The environment is better off, and so is the company; it will have a recurring savings total of $82,000. Not to mention the people who may be hired as a result of cost savings and increased production levels.

As this and many other examples demonstrate, the changes we need are not only within our reach - they are well worth reaching for.

Changes in the way we plan, in the way we do business, and in the way we go about our daily lives can bring about improvements in the environment at no cost to the economy.

The Government of Canada is committed to pursuing a sustainable development agenda that responds to the desire of Canadians for a healthy environment and a higher quality of life. Voluntary pollution prevention is an essential plank in this strategy.

Behavioural changes, innovation, and efficiency can stop pollutants from ever reaching our environment. No matter how small, once multiplied throughout the Canadian economy, these changes can equal environmental progress.

I am pleased to note that my remarks will be followed after lunch by a presentation from representatives of the National Youth Roundtable on the Environment. I look forward to hearing their ideas on how we can all live more sustainably.

Theirs is the generation that will live with many of the choices we make today. That is why young people themselves will play such a critical role - not only as leaders of tomorrow, but by acting as agents of change today.

Once again, I want to thank the Canadian Centre for Pollution Prevention for organizing this dialogue and for your continuing leadership.

I commend the centre's commitment to the protection of human and environmental health in Canada. And I look forward to working together in partnership to continue our progress in making pollution prevention an integral element of the Canadian way of life.

Related Documents:

• Progress in Pollution Prevention - Current Report