A Greener Canada:
Stéphane Dion’s Enduring Commitment to the Environment
Before Canadians knew Stéphane Dion as an environmental leader, they identified him as a passionate defender of Canadian unity.
When our country was at risk of separation, Mr. Dion brought clarity to the unity debate. Initially met with scepticism and cynicism, the then-Intergovernmental Affairs Minister went on to forge The Clarity Act, which was largely credited with protecting Canadian unity from another referendum crisis.
He entered politics to help Canada stay united – and now he wants to become Prime Minister to make that united Canada richer, fairer and greener.
With that same passion and dedication that has framed his political career, Mr. Dion has laid out a bold agenda to address Canada’s environmental and economic challenges in the 21st century.
It’s the culmination of years of commitment to environmental stewardship, but it began to really take hold when he became Environment Minister under former Prime Minister Paul Martin in July 2004.
It was then he took on the task of preparing Canada for the challenges of a sustainable economy. When he was Environment Minister, Canada’s budget was called the greenest budget since Confederation, and included major investments in initiatives to clean up the environment, protect wildlife and natural habitats, improve our national parks, and conserve our resources. It also advanced the development of environmental technologies and the use of greener practices and technologies.
In April 2005, Mr. Dion announced Project Green – a comprehensive climate change plan to honour Canada’s Kyoto commitments. The plan included regulations on large industry to require them to reduce their emissions, production incentives for renewable energy, a Partnership Fund to cost-share energy conservation and strategic technology projects with provinces and territories, a Climate Fund to spur emission reductions from all sectors of the economy not covered by regulations, and a number of other important initiatives.
Perhaps his greatest accomplishment as Environment Minister was in December 2005 when he broke several years of deadlock and won international agreement at the UN Conference on Climate Change in Montreal on what is known as the Montreal Action Plan (MAP). The MAP officially implemented the Kyoto Protocol and started a dialogue involving all major emitters – including the United States and China – on global action on climate change beyond 2012, the end of Kyoto’s first phase.
Mr. Dion was hailed internationally for his leadership in uniting all countries to work together on furthering the fight against climate change. He was called a “hero” by environmental advocates, and won recognition from groups around the world as a leader in advancing the cause of the environment.
Mr. Dion’s strength of conviction – his commitment to governing based on what’s right, not what is politically expedient – is what makes him a true leader.
In that same spirit Stéphane Dion has brought forward the Liberal Green Shift and will lead our country in the fight against climate change.
Canadian Leadership / Leadership Canadien
