Archived: Departmental Results Report 2016 to 2017, Department of Environment, chapter 1
Minister's message
As Minister of Environment and Climate Change, I am pleased to present the 2016–17 Departmental Results Report for Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). I am proud of this department’s accomplishments, and the commitment and hard work of its people to achieve these results.
Looking back at 2016–17, ECCC’s achievements advanced commitments to protecting our environment and growing our economy. These commitments are a shared responsibility, and ECCC is taking leadership while working together with its many partners including provinces and territories, Indigenous peoples, the international community, industry and others.
The adoption of the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change (the PCF) was a key accomplishment this year and an excellent example of the results that can be achieved through collaborative consultations. The PCF is an ambitious and achievable plan that will enable Canada to meet or exceed its Paris Agreement target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 30% below 2005 levels by 2030. The Framework will also make our communities more resilient to a changing environment, and ensure we take advantage of the economic opportunities afforded by an emerging low-carbon, clean-growth economy.
The Framework includes a number of mitigating actions that will both provide a strong foundation for deeper emissions reductions over time, and reduce emissions in the near term. For example, a price on carbon pollution will be extended to all Canadian jurisdictions in 2018; regulations for phasing down use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and reducing methane emissions are under development; the phase-out of traditional coal-fired electricity units is being accelerated; and consultations on a clean fuel standard are under way. These and other policies are designed to support the transition to a low-carbon economy and create opportunities for Canadians and businesses.
Significant progress was also made to: set and collaborate on robust policies and programs needed to achieve Canada’s biodiversity goal for conserving, by 2020, at least 17% of Canada’s lands and inland waters; protect and restore the Great Lakes; preserve and protect habitat and species at risk; and, provide ongoing contributions to environment assessments. The Department continued to provide important air and weather information and alerts.
You will find more details on all of these achievements within the following pages. I therefore invite you to read ECCC’s 2016–17 Departmental Results Report to learn more about the contributions my Department and its officials are making to improve the environment.
The Honourable Catherine McKenna, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Environment and Climate Change
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