September 5, 2008
No. 196
The Honourable David Emerson, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Honourable Josée Verner, Minister of C Canadian Heritage and Status of Women and Minister for La Francophonie, today announced that Canada will offset greenhouse gas emissions produced by Quebec City's 2008 Francophonie Summit, which will take place from October 17 to 19, 2008. The Summi t will be carbon neutral and sustainably managed.
"The Government of Canada is serious about tackling climate change," said Minister Emerson. "By offsetting the Francophon ie Summit's greenhouse gas emissions, we are showing leadership in addressing this important issue."
The Canadian government intends to invest in a project, preferably in the vi cinity of the Summit itself.
"We are pleased to take concrete measures to manage this event in a way that is sustainable and carbon neutral," added Minister Verner. "Our a pproach is consistent with that adopted at the North American Leaders' Summit last year in Montebello and with international practice for hosts of such large events."
Canada wil l chair the XII Francophonie Summit, which it will co-host with Quebec. The Government of New Brunswick is also a partner in the Summit. It is a great opportunity to showcase the vitality and vibrancy of Canada's Francophone communities, while highl ighting how the contribution of French-speaking Canadians has characterized our country's history and will mark its future.
This year, Canada commemorates the 400th anniversary of the founding of Quebec. This anniversary reminds us that French is Canada's founding language and that the founding of Quebec City marks the founding of the Canadian state.
The request f or proposals is available online at www.merx.ca.
For more information on the Francophonie Summit, please visit www.francophoniequebec2008.qc.ca.
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For further information, media representatives may contact:
Lynn Meahan
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
613-995-18 51
Foreign Affairs Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
613-995-1874
www.international.gc.ca/index.aspx
Dominic Gosselin
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women
and Minister for La Francophonie
819-997-7788
Backgrounder
Francophonie Summit Offsetting
The Government of Canada has demonstrated its leadership in the sustainable management of international events including, more recently, the North American Leaders' Summit in Montebello. The Francophonie Summit, co-hosted by the Government of Canada, provides another opportunity to show leadership in the area of tackling climate change, as well as helping to set a precedent for future international conferences to be hosted in other countries.
A sustainab ly managed meeting ensures that all aspects of an event, including its location, food services, transportation and the provision of materials, are approached with pollution prevention in mind in order to reduce its environmental impact. A carbon neutral e vent is an extension of a sustainably managed meeting, and allows organizers to offset greenhouse gas emissions resulting from a meeting that cannot be reduced by other means.
Emissions from the following elements will be included in the parameters for offsetting:
• air travel for all official delegations and their staff;
• emissions related to the media program, including air travel and ground transportation;
• ground transportation;
• energy use for summit facilities;
• food services and catering (all hot meals served at the co nference facility and official dinners at other sites);
• accommodation for all delegates and their staff (four nights maximum); and
• other energy sources (for example, generators and additional equipment).
The above parameters represent a realistic accounting of the majority of the greenhouse gas emissions that would result from Summit activities. The scope of air travel contributions, by far the single most significant source of greenhouse gas emission for the Summit, is defin ed and specifically includes delegation staff.
It is estimated that 1,600 delegates and 500 media representatives will participate in the Summit, and tha t they will generate approximately 6,240 tonnes of carbon dioxide.
Suppliers of greenhouse gas emission reductions are invited to submit proposals through the MERX Public Tendering Service. A supplier and project will be identified on a best value for money basis.
