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International cooperation

Note

This information was current as of November 2015.

International overview

The integration of economies, along with the increased movements of goods and people means that there are fewer strictly domestic environmental issues for which causes or solutions are exclusively confined within national borders. Consequently, solutions to many environmental problems, such as climate change, mercury deposition, ozone depletion, biodiversity conservation and wildlife trafficking, require international cooperation.

International efforts to address environmental problems are currently undertaken through multilateral, regional and bilateral fora. These fora are used to develop solutions to global and domestic environmental threats as well as to advance domestic priorities through collaboration with partners. They also allow Canada to influence decisions that may affect its economy, its environment and the well-being of its citizens, while also providing opportunities to cost-share initiatives and share scientific knowledge.

Canada has ratified over 50 multilateral environmental agreements and is a party to numerous additional regional and bilateral agreements. While targeted activities have been the focus of work with key partners, such as the United States, regional cooperation (e.g., Americas, Asia, Arctic, European Union) has also enabled progress towards global issues. Cooperation within bilateral or regional fora/agreements has been particularly useful to address issues affecting Canada.

Canada/Environment Canada’s international environmental engagement

Environment Canada participates in many international organizations, some of which focus on advancing specific environmental issues while others address broader questions. Some of these organizations are focused on research, while others veer towards policy development. Many of these organizations also include international scientific cooperation as an element of their work.

In most cases, Canada’s engagement in international organizations stems from obligations related to the implementation of binding multilateral environmental agreements. For example, Canada is a party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and is currently negotiating a new agreement, with new obligations, for the period beyond 2020. Unite Nations Environment Programme, to which Canada contributes $3.1 million per year, is the parent body, and hosts the secretariats, of several multilateral environmental agreements which Canada has ratified, including the Convention on Biological Diversity (Secretariat based in Montreal); Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora; Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer and its Multilateral Fund (whose Secretariat is also located in Montreal); Basel Convention on Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal; Rotterdam Convention on Prior Informed Consent for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade; Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants; and the Minamata Convention on mercury. Canada is subject to legally binding commitments under each of these agreements. UNEP is also the Secretariat for the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, of which Canada is a member and for which Canada has provided $13 million. Canada’s obligations related to the International Joint Commission (IJC) are enshrined in domestic legislation whereby the Minister is responsible for the enforcement of IJC rules and regulations as they relate to Canada – US boundary waters and the preservation and enhancement of the quality of the natural environment. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) supports the implementation of a number of environmental conventions and provides advice and assessment to governments.

Climate change has dominated the international agenda over the last few decades, a trend that continues to this date as countries, working through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, announce their commitments and negotiate the legal framework that will define the post 2020 period. Climate change discussions are also taking place in the majority of international fora in which the Department is engaged, including the Organization for Cooperation and Development (OECD), the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate, the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), the Arctic Council, the G7, G20, UNEP, the WMO, and even industry focussed organizations such as the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

Participation in the Convention on Biological Diversity is the main way the department engages internationally to address global biodiversity and conservation issues. In addition, Canada has targeted key partners, including the Unites States and the European Union, on specific issues such as trade and polar bear management. Through the G7 and INTERPOL, the department is also addressing issues related to wildlife trafficking.

On air quality, Canada has a longstanding relationship with the United States focussed on addressing common air contaminants. Canada has also been involved in the global development of the Minamata Convention on mercury, with a view to protect the environment and the health of northerners through reductions in atmospheric depositions of mercury in Canada’s Arctic. This convention is the latest in a long line of chemicals management conventions (including the Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants, and the Montreal Protocol on ozone depleting substances) which have helped Canada target domestic environmental priorities that can only be effectively addressed through global agreements.

On water issues, Canada advances and protects Canadian interests in the management of transboundary waters with the United States, and through fora such as the International Joint Commission as well as the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between Canada and the United States.

Finally, international cooperation for the provision of meteorological services is essential given that weather predictions beyond two days cannot be achieved without international data. In this regard, partnerships with countries such as the United States and China as well as participation to organizations like the WMO and the Group on Earth Observations are particularly beneficial.

Tab 3 – b provides a snapshot of some international organizations that are currently important to Canada. This list contains a number of multilateral environmental agreements, including those which have Secretariats located in Canada.

International organizations

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

The UNFCCC was agreed to in 1992. With near universal membership, the Convention sets an overall framework for intergovernmental efforts to tackle the challenges posed by climate change, and has as its ultimate objective to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system. A secretariat, led by Executive Secretary Ms. Christiana Figueres supports the work of the UNFCCC.

The Kyoto Protocol, adopted in 1997, is an implementing agreement to the Convention that sets out legally-binding emission reduction targets for 36 developed countries for the 2008-2012 period. Canada was a Party to the Kyoto Protocol, but withdrew in 2012. The United States is also not a Party to the Kyoto Protocol.

Parties to the UNFCCC are currently negotiating a new agreement for the period beyond 2020. The intent is for the new agreement to be adopted this December in Paris at the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) and that it be applicable to all and help meet the long-term global goal of limiting global warming to below 2°C.

United-States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

The EPA is Environment Canada's primary partner in the U.S. Administration and is pivotal in advancing the bilateral environmental agenda.

Environment Canada and the EPA have established a strong and long-standing relationship built on a range of measures including collaborative science and monitoring; alignment of regulatory approaches, where appropriate; and, regional transboundary initiatives and partnerships.

Key areas of bilateral cooperation with the EPA include transboundary air quality (e.g. Canada-U.S. Air Quality Agreement); transboundary water (e.g. updated Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and work in support of the International Joint Commission); as well as, climate change, including domestic regulatory initiatives and collaboration in multilateral initiatives addressing short-lived climate pollutants.

United-Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Established in 1972, UNEP is the principal UN body in the field of environment that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the UN system, and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment.

UNEP’s areas of work are climate change; chemicals and wastes; ecosystem management (e.g. biodiversity, water); environmental governance; resource efficiency and sustainable consumption and production; resilience to disasters and conflicts; and environmental assessment. UNEP provides timely, scientifically credible, policy-relevant environmental analyses, data and information in support of decision-making.

UNEP hosts the secretariat of several multilateral environmental agreements, including the secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the secretariat of the Multilateral Fund of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, both located in Montreal.

UNEP is also the secretariat for the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), an initiative aimed at advancing efforts to reduce short lived climate pollutants.

Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC)

The CEC is an intergovernmental organization created in 1994 by Canada, Mexico and the United States under the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC), a NAFTA side agreement.

Its objectives include facilitating cooperation and public participation to foster the conservation, protection and enhancement of the North American environment, promoting the effective enforcement of environmental laws and to providing public information on emerging environment and trade-related issues.

The CEC consists of three components: a Council, a Secretariat and a Joint Public Advisory Committee. The Council is the CEC’s governing body which consists of the environment ministers of the three countries.

The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer

The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was signed in 1987, in response to growing concern over the depletion of the ozone layer. It established measures for controlling and gradually phasing out the production and consumption of all ozone depleting substances, and has proven to be a remarkable success, with the majority of ozone depleting substances, including Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) and halon, having been phased out worldwide. The principal challenge remaining is the phase out of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC) in developing countries. The Ozone Secretariat, located in Nairobi, supports the implementation of the Montreal Protocol.

In 1991, the Montreal Protocol established a Multilateral Fund in order to assist developing countries with the costs of phasing out ozone depleting substances. The Multilateral Fund Secretariat is headquartered in Montreal.

Since 2009, Canada has partnered with the U.S. and Mexico in putting forward a North American proposal to amend the Montreal Protocol to phase down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), potent greenhouse gases used as alternatives for some ozone depleting substances. If adopted by the Parties, such an amendment would have important implications for the Multilateral Fund. Discussions on this issue will continue at the next Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol (Dubai, November 1-6, 2015).

Other key international organizations:

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