Statement - Response to May 2012 Report of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development

OTTAWA, May 8, 2012 /CNW/ - Canada's Environment Minister, the Honorable Peter Kent, issued the following statement on behalf of the Government of Canada in response to the tabling of the May 2012 report from the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development.

"Our government is committed to ensuring an environment that is clean, safe, and sustainable for all Canadians, while creating jobs and promoting economic growth. We welcome the report of the Commissioner, and we have taken note of his recommendations.

"We also note that the first chapter deals with the Kyoto Protocol - an agreement that our government has said is in the past. We have already announced our intention to withdraw from the Kyoto Protocol because it does not provide a global solution to the global problem of climate change. We understand that the Commissioner has recognized this, given that no recommendations are provided in the report. We have fulfilled our reporting obligations under the Kyoto Protocol Implementation Act, and we will continue to fully and transparently report on progress towards reducing Canada's greenhouse gas emissions through various reporting mechanisms, including the Canada's Emissions Trends, the National Inventory Report and the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy.

"Our government is working with its provincial, territorial and other partners to take decisive action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We are making significant progress on reducing Canada's total greenhouse gas emissions by 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020 through a sector-by-sector plan. In fact, federal measures, combined with actions taken by provinces, have brought us one-quarter of the way towards our 2020 target. Emissions have declined in almost all sectors, including oil and gas, and electricity generation, since 2005. Between 2009 and 2010, our emissions remained virtually steady despite economic growth of 3.2 percent.

"More progress on reducing our greenhouse gas emissions is forthcoming, with such initiatives as the publication of our final coal-fired electricity regulations, coming online in the coming months, and the proposed heavy-duty vehicle regulations we recently announced.

"This Government recognizes the importance of ensuring that Canadians have clean air, clean water, and a strong, diverse environment in which to raise their families. We will continue to take the necessary steps to protect the beautiful country in which we live."

Adam Sweet
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of the Environment
819-997-1441

Media Relations
Environment Canada
819-934-8008

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