13 May 1999 Brian Emmett, Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for the opportunity to be here today. With me is Wayne Cluskey, the Principal in charge of the preparation of both the original stewardship chapter, tabled in the House of Commons in May 1996, and the recent follow-up audit that was tabled in December of 1998.
Environmental stewardship is an important stepping stone toward sustainable development.
Through the Code of Environmental Stewardship, federal departments and agencies were expected to lead by example by integrating environmental considerations into all aspects of their operations. The Code did not apply to Crown corporations. I am pleased to report that four other agencies did so voluntarily and have already benefited or will benefit from a detailed review by my Office. Interviews conducted as part of the 1998 follow-up audit indicated that, in two large agencies not producing a sustainable development strategy, there was a significant risk that the environmental stewardship initiative had lost momentum and direction. Environment Canada is not supporting the Code of Environmental stewardship in these agencies and there appears to be little senior management support and commitment for stewardship activities within the agencies themselves.