Minister Wilkinson congratulates Environment and Climate Change Canada on 50 years of environmental protection

June 11, 2021 – Gatineau, Quebec

“On this day, I am honoured to congratulate Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) on 50 years of achievement in protecting and conserving our environment in Canada and abroad.

“On June 11, 1971, Canada became one of the first countries in the world to formally establish a department for the environment, responsible for preserving the natural environment, providing meteorological services, and coordinating environmental policies and programs. Since then, the department has evolved to address the increasingly complex and changing environmental priorities of Canada, and their economic and social impacts on our communities and our way of life.

“Today, Environment and Climate Change Canada is a champion of Canadian global leadership in the environmental and economic transition and protection of biodiversity that must define a nature-positive, carbon-neutral 21st century. ECCC administers more than a dozen statutes relating to diverse topics such as the trade of endangered species, the licensing of dams on international rivers, and the regulation of chemicals and greenhouse gases.

“ECCC has dedicated employees across Canada, from Victoria to Yellowknife, Eureka to Iqaluit, Calgary to Saskatoon to Churchill, Man.; from Burlington, Ont., to Dorval, Que., to Sackville, N.B., and Mount Pearl, NL. Their expertise—covering areas as diverse as biology, hydrology and meteorology, law enforcement, informatics, and engineering—informs our policy decisions and helps protect Canada’s natural environment.

“Thanks to our committed employees, today’s ECCC is a national and an international leader in anticipating and addressing the most pressing environmental issues. This includes the challenge of our time: climate change.

“As Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada, I congratulate the department’s employees—past and present—for their contributions over the last 50 years. Their work helps ensure Canadians have a clean and sustainable environment today, tomorrow, and for generations to come.

“I invite Canadians to visit www.Canada.ca/ECCC50years and follow our department on social media as we celebrate our history, our passionate people, and the many important milestones in our department’s history.”

– The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Environment and Climate Change