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Trade and Environment
Environmental Cooperation Agreements
Trade agreements contribute to greater prosperity and, when complemented with other policies and measures, create opportunities to address social and environmental objectives such as raising living standards, increasing employment, improving working conditions and protecting the environment. In order to promote mutually supportive trade and environmental policies, Canada has negotiated parallel agreements on environmental cooperation in association with free trade agreements. These environmental cooperation agreements (ECAs) have been aimed at fostering high levels of environmental protection and compliance as well as effective enforcement of environmental laws and regulations (while recognizing the right to discretion in enforcement activities). The ECAs also provide for procedural guarantees, strengthened environmental cooperation; transparency, accountability and public participation. Canada has taken this approach in the North American Free Trade Agreement, the Canada-Chile Free Trade Agreement and the Canada-Costa Rica Free Trade Agreement. While our general approach to environmental cooperation agreements has been consistent, the ECAs vary in terms of required funding for implementation, institutional structures and mechanisms to foster citizen participation and involvement. Variations depend on the volume of trade between parties (and associated environmental impacts), the Parties' levels of development, and existing mechanisms for civil society participation. These environmental agreements have been very important in improving our environmental relations with trading partners and have resulted in an array of cooperative activities in areas of key importance to Canada's international environmental agenda.
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