Archived: Report on Plans and Priorities 2015-16, Environment and Climate Change Canada, chapter 1

On behalf of Environment Canada, I am pleased to present the 2015-16 Report on Plans and Priorities. This Report outlines the Department’s goals and priorities for fiscal year 2015-16 and the actions it will undertake to ensure Canadians benefit from a clean, safe and sustainable environment today, tomorrow and well into the future.

In the coming year, our Government will build on the success of the National Conservation Plan. We will focus investments on new and enhanced initiatives, such as securing ecologically sensitive lands, restoring wetlands, supporting voluntary stewardship for species and habitats and strengthening marine and coastal conservation. We will also continue to collaborate with our partners and stakeholders to protect and restore ecosystems, such as the Great Lakes, Lake Simcoe, the Lake Winnipeg Basin and the St. Lawrence River Basin.

Canada will continue to take decisive action both domestically and abroad to address climate change. On the international stage, last fall Canada was proud to provide $300 million to the Green Climate Fund to support developing countries in addressing climate change. This important contribution builds on Canada’s previous investment of $1.2 billion under the Fast-Start Financing initiative. Through the Government of Canada's contributions to this fund we were able to support more than 100 projects to help more than 65 developing countries adapt to climate change and increase renewable energy. Thanks to this investment, over the last five years, Canada has contributed $1.5 billion in climate financing--again demonstrating our longstanding commitment to support successful international efforts focused on addressing climate change.

Canada is also continuing to work with other countries through international forums to address climate change. As a founding partner and major financial contributor to the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, Canada is leading international efforts to tackle short-lived climate pollutants, such as black carbon, methane and hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs. Canada is also using its chairmanship of the Arctic Council to take action on black carbon and methane to address short-lived climate pollutants.

Canada accounts for less than 2 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions and our country has one of the cleanest electricity systems in the world--with nearly 80 per cent of our electricity coming from sources that emit no greenhouse gases. Building on our record as a clean energy leader, we are continuing to advance our balanced sector-by-sector regulatory approach to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Under this approach, we have already taken decisive action to regulate the transportation and electricity sectors, which are two of the largest sources of emissions in Canada.

Through our approach we have shown that it is possible to protect the environment while supporting economic growth. In fact, in 2012, greenhouse gas emissions were 5.1 per cent lower than 2005 levels while the economy grew by 10.6 per cent during the same period.

Environment Canada’s weather forecasts and other meteorological and hydrological services provide Canadians with the information they need to make informed decisions in response to changing weather. The Government will continue enhancing the quality of weather forecasts and severe weather warnings to Canadians in all regions by making significant upgrades to monitoring networks and weather warning and forecast systems.

I invite you to read Environment Canada’s 2015-16 Report on Plans and Priorities and to learn more about the actions that Environment Canada will take to protect Canadians and their environment.

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The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, P.C., M.P.
Minister of the Environment