Minister Aglukkaq hosts North American partners at Commission for Environmental Cooperation Council Session

Hosted in Yellowknife, the Council Session will be the first to be held in Canada's North

OTTAWA, July 15, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ - From July 16 to 17, Minister Leona Aglukkaq, as current Chair of the Council for the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), will host her Council colleagues, Administrator Gina McCarthy of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and Secretary Juan José Guerra Abud of the Mexican Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources, at the 2014 CEC Council Session in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.

This year's Council Session will celebrate 20 years of environmental cooperation between the three countries, and will feature a moderated discussion by the three ministers on Traditional Ecological Knowledge and the new Strategic Priorities for the CEC.

Quick Facts

• The CEC was established in 1994 under the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC), the parallel environmental agreement to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
• The CEC is an intergovernmental organization established by Canada, Mexico and the United States to support cooperation on shared environmental issues, such as sustaining healthy communities and ecosystems, addressing climate change and moving to a low carbon economy.
• Prior to the Council Session, the CEC's Joint Public Advisory Committee (JPAC) will host a public forum on July 16 to discuss transboundary natural resource management, with an emphasis on water, climate, and the importance of Traditional Ecological Knowledge.

Quote

"Our Government is committed to working closely with our partners so we can provide effective stewardship of the environment for present and future generations. Canada looks forward to welcoming its partners to the 2014 CEC Council Session in Yellowknife this year, and to continue fostering the conservation, protection, and enhancement of our shared North American environment."

– The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of the Environment, Minister of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency and Minister for the Arctic Council

Associated Link

www.cec.org

SOURCE: Environment Canada

Ted Laking, Director of Communications, Office of the Minister of the Environment, 819-997-1441; Media Relations, Environment Canada, 819-934-8008; Environment Canada's Twitter page; Environment Canada's Facebook page