Government seeks input on national environmental sustainability statement

Environment and Conservation Minister Tom Osborne today announced government is seeking public comments on a Commitment Statement on Environmental Sustainability in Canada. The statement, developed by the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment, (CCME) is a declaration that all jurisdictions will continue to work together to improve effectiveness of environmental management and sustainability. CCME has asked all provinces and territories to consult locally on the statement.

�Newfoundland and Labrador is committed to doing its part to help achieve environmental sustainability in Canada and be part of a harmonized approach to the integration of environmental management, competitiveness and sustainable development,� said Minister Osborne. �Our government will work cooperatively with the federal government and other jurisdictions to improve environmental management, while also increasing Canada�s long-term competitiveness.�

The minister explained that while environmental management in Canada is a shared responsibility of the federal and provincial and territorial governments, collaborative actions are required for a more streamlined and effective approach to environmental management and ensuring the integration of environmental issues into economic decisions.

Once all provinces and territories have concluded consultations and have input on the commitment statement, CCME will invite all members to be signatories to the statement. �In our Blueprint framework, government committed to sustainable development of our resources. Working with the CCME and other province and territories to further sound environmental management and sustainability is one way we are working on that commitment,� said Minister Osborne.

The department will be accepting input from the public and interest groups until December 31, 2005. Anyone wanting to provide input can do so in writing to:

Ken Dominie, Assistant Deputy Minister
Department of Environment and Conservation
P. O. Box 8700
St. John�s, NL A1B 4J6
e-mail: kdominie@gov.nl.ca

The document can be found on the department Web site at //www.gov.nl.ca/env/publ/annexa.pdf

Media contact: Diane Keough, Communications, (709) 729-2575, 685-4401

2005 11 28                                          11:45 a.m.