Archived: Departmental Performance Report 2015 to 2016, Environment and Climate Change Canada, chapter 1

As Minister of Environment and Climate Change, I am very pleased to present the 2015-16 Departmental Performance Report for Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). This report outlines ECCC’s accomplishments in implementing the Government of Canada’s commitment to address climate change and in ensuring a clean, prosperous and sustainable environment and economy for present and future generations.

Collaboration was and is essential to the Department’s success, as evidenced by the national leadership demonstrated at the 21^st Conference of the Parties in Paris, where Canada was part of a historic agreement which aims to limit the global average temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius. In the Vancouver Declaration on Clean Growth and Climate Change, Canada’s First Ministers agreed to work together to develop a new pan-Canadian Framework to address climate change, including measures to meet international commitments and to support Canada’s transition to a low-carbon economy.

Effective relationships and partnerships guided the Department’s achievements in every area of its mandate, including the protection of sensitive ecosystems such as the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence River Basin and the Lake Winnipeg Basin, the ongoing implementation of the Chemicals Management Plan and the federal-provincial-territorial Air Quality Management System, and the operation of collaborative air and water monitoring networks.

The Department responded to enhance protection of Canada’s endangered species, to manage and expand National Wildlife Areas and Migratory Bird Sanctuaries and is continuing to provide its expertise to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency to ensure thorough environmental assessments.

The Department maintained its reputation as an authoritative source of information, providing high-quality weather services and information about our changing climate to Canadians, including severe weather event forecasts, seasonal predictions and increasing the accessibility of weather information through social media.

I am very proud of the Department’s many accomplishments, achieved through the dedication of the people within ECCC, across the country.

We all remain committed to building on these accomplishments as we work to achieve the priorities given to me by the Prime Minister in my mandate letter.

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The Honourable Catherine McKenna, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Environment and Climate Change