SPEAKING NOTES FOR THE HONOURABLE LAWRENCE CANNON, THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT, INFRASTRUCTURE AND COMMUNITIES, AT THE INAUGURATION OF THE 36^TH SESSION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE INTERNATIONAL CIVIL AVIATION ORGANIZATION

MONTREAL, QUEBEC
SEPTEMBER 18, 20

It gives me great pleasure to welcome everyone to the General Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization. Canada is proud to host the ICAO here in Montreal, and I join with my colleagues on the podium this morning in welcoming you to Montreal, to the Province of Quebec, and to Canada.

ICAO's origins go back to a time of turbulence and war – to the conference between two great leaders held in Quebec City in 1943, President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill. These leaders were clear-thinking and forward-looking. They shared a spirit of determination and hope for the future. At a time when much of the world's attention focused on aircraft as an instrument of war, they foresaw an organization dedicated to the management of key aspects of international civil aviation.

In many respects, the times are no less turbulent today. The issues have changed. The sense of urgency remains. At this 36^th session, we must be every bit as visionary and forward-looking – every bit as pragmatic and positive – in our response to such issues as safety, security, and the impact of civil aviation on the planet's environment.

And in responding to those issues, we would do well to remember the spirit of those who created this organization – those who signed the Chicago Convention on December 7^th 1944. In the preamble, they first noted that "the future of international civil aviation [could] help to create and preserve friendship and understanding among the nations and peoples of the world." I think we would agree that this vision has proven to be prophetic.

But then the founders – the signers of the Chicago Convention – went on to say:

"… it is desirable to avoid friction and to promote that cooperation between nations and peoples upon which the peace of the world depends…"

Colleagues, at this 36^th General Assembly, I believe we must keep these words close to heart. ICAO is an organization with a remarkable legacy. The degree to which the world has fulfilled the promise of civil aviation – the degree to which it has indeed created and preserved friendship and understanding among the peoples of the world – has been a mark of the degree to which we have avoided friction and promoted cooperation.

The agenda before us reminds us of how much we have achieved. Civil aviation is safer today because of our work. Canada is very proud of the role that we have played in supporting ICAO's efforts to promote Safety Management Systems, for example. We have championed the Universal Safety Oversight Programme, and Canada was the first country to be audited under the new systems approach.

We have been equally supportive of ICAO's efforts to promote security. We contribute financially to the Universal Security Audit Programme, and we continue to advocate full implementation of the Aviation Security Programme into the Regular Fund.

In addition, Canada has supported the growing trend toward liberalization of air agreements through such initiatives as our Blue Sky policy, launched last November.

When we look back at the progress ICAO has made in safety and security, we can all be very proud. And we can draw lessons on how ICAO has been able to achieve so much progress on these key issues.

One of the lessons is that ICAO is, above all, a standard-setting organization. ICAO has never been a prescriptive body or an enforcement organization. Instead, we have been successful over the decades because our standards and guidance material allow for flexibility. Member States can use our work as an adaptable toolkit to improve civil aviation at a domestic level.

The standards we adopt reflect the positions and the priorities of our Member States, and the evolution of circumstances and technologies. We have also been successful because, in making these standards, we take into account the needs of the industry and the travelling public. We've seen this most recently in the manner in which our work on liquids, aerosols and gels has helped increase security while, at the same time, minimizing difficulties for the traveller.

A second lesson: achieving our goals is a long-term objective. It requires continued engagement and study. At times, it takes many years to agree to a standard or a guidance we can all accept. In the 1980s and 90s, you will recall, ICAO took more than a decade to reach a decision on the guidance on registration of aircraft.

But we took the time to get it right – took the time to make sure that the guidance brought us together, and made us stronger as an organization. A third lesson we can draw from the successes of the past: ICAO is a forum that reflects a very broad international community. Sometimes the breadth of interests in that community make agreement difficult, but the effort has proven that we can indeed reach a consensus so that Member States from all around the world can benefit from the advancements of civil aviation.

I would especially point out that ICAO enjoys an excellent record for recognizing the concerns of developing states, and our regional offices around the world help to spread the benefits of applying our standards.

In our 63 years as an organization, we have seen many developing states become full-fledged industrial powerhouses. The work we have done together has helped nations make that transition and has brought all partners and members closer together in a spirit of cooperation.

These are important lessons that reflect a great legacy. And they are lessons that I hope my colleagues and delegates will keep close to heart as we address one of the most complex challenges ICAO has faced in many years.

I refer, of course, to the environmental issues on our agenda.

ICAO is the right organization for a wide-ranging and frank discussion of civil aviation and the environment.

And I would remind this Assembly of the major progress already made by the industry and by this organization. We have helped to promote technological advances that have reduced emissions significantly.

In the last decade, fuel efficiency has improved 20 per cent. In Canada over the past 40 years, emissions per passenger kilometre have dropped by 70 per cent. And yet, the total level of emissions continues to rise because of the increase in the number of passengers. Technological advances on their own will not solve the problem, and ICAO has promoted additional ways to reduce emissions.

We have championed more efficient operation of the industry as a means to cut emissions. Some remedies, such as infrastructure improvements, shortened air routes, and consistent flight altitudes, lie within domestic jurisdictions. But we must continue to advocate operations that are environmentally sustainable and global in their reach.

The third pillar for reducing emissions from civil aviation involves market-based solutions, such as voluntary measures, fees and charges, and emissions trading. I especially want to commend the Market-based Measures Task Force for its work on emissions trading.

We are an organization with a long corporate memory and, within the timeline of our 63 years, it does not seem long ago at all that the concept of emissions trading was a radical and highly controversial idea.

But look how far we have come in supporting the effectiveness of emissions trading as a general principle. In the coming years, we expect market-based measures to remain a major field of study as we consider the implications and opportunities.

Colleagues, ICAO is the right organization to shepherd this research. Much of it is in the development stage and this is not surprising when you consider that the issue has been before us for a relatively short time.

We should support ICAO's continued pursuit of standards and guidance that we all can adopt. More than ever, it is crucial to work together to ensure that the research and the dialogue continues so that our eventual choices make the planet greener, and our organization stronger.

Colleagues, ICAO has an impressive heritage and legacy. It has tremendous impact as a body that brings different views and perspectives from around the world, and creating a foundation on which we can all build.

We need to apply the lessons we have learned to the environmental challenge; we need to emerge from this meeting stronger, more united, and more capable of creating a long-term impact on civil aviation emissions.

We have made significant progress on environmental issues, but there is much more work to do. Given the urgency of the global situation, perhaps we need to accelerate that work. We need to accelerate it at all levels – in our domestic responsibilities as well as at this Assembly.

I am an optimist who is inspired by ICAO's history. And when this Assembly gathers again in three years, I expect to see substantial progress on the environmental agenda. I trust others will join Canada – both in our commitment to ICAO, and in the clear expectation that we will see progress at the next General Assembly.

Building a legacy like ICAO's is not easy. We can be very proud of what this organization has achieved. And we owe it to future generations of air travellers – and to the health of the planet – to be as determined and forward-looking as the visionaries who first conceived ICAO.

We owe it to future generations to be as pragmatic and insightful as the signers of a Convention dedicated to promoting cooperation between nations and peoples. Let us emerge from this Assembly united and determined to continue to work together to address the great challenges of our time.

Merci. Thank you.