Minister Aglukkaq marks the 20th anniversary of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC)

Canada to host the 2014 CEC Council Session in Yellowknife

OTTAWA, March 4, 2014 /CNW/ - Today, Minister Aglukkaq, Chair of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), announced that Canada will host the 2014 CEC Council Session in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, on July 17, 2014.

Canada is pleased to chair the CEC as it celebrates its 20^th anniversary and to host the first Council Session in Canada's North. Canada looks forward to welcoming senior environment officials from the United States and Mexico, members of the Joint Public Advisory Committee, and engaged North American citizens to participate in a productive Council Session that will celebrate trilateral achievements through the Commission's cooperative program and foster a dynamic discussion on the future of the CEC.

The CEC announced today the recipients of the 2013-2015 North American Partnership for Environmental Community Action (NAPECA) grant program, which supports activities to address environmental challenges at the community level. In total, 18 projects from across the three countries were selected to participate in the program. The four Canadian projects selected will receive a total of $398,322 in funds and will focus on issues ranging from climate change, water quality management, and biodiversity conservation.

Quick Facts

• The CEC was established in 1994 under the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC), the environmental side 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.
• The NAPECA grant program was established by the CEC in 2010 to promote model environmental initiatives that build long-term partnerships and improve environmental conditions at the community level. The current budget for the NAPECA grant program is $1.2 million over two years.

Quotes

"Canada has been a proud partner of the CEC for the past 20 years. Our successful collaboration with the United States and Mexico on collective environmental priorities continues to help foster the conservation, protection, and enhancement of our shared North American environment. I look forward to welcoming our partners to the 2014 CEC Council Session in Yellowknife later this year, and to continuing our work to preserve and protect the environment."

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

"The CEC is proud to support projects at the community level that bring engaged citizens and governments together on key environmental issues in North America."

- Irasema Coronado, Executive Director of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation

Related Product

For more information and to view a backgrounder on this announcement, please visit the Web site of Environment Canada at http://www.ec.gc.ca/.

Associated Link

Commission for Environmental Cooperation News Release

  

SOURCE: Environment Canada

Jennifer Kennedy
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of the Environment
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Media Relations
Environment Canada
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