My Report tabled today shows that in managing environment and sustainable issues, the federal government continues to have real difficulty turning its commitments into action. Very often, meeting these commitments requires federal departments to work with the provinces, with the private sector or with other federal departments.
Partnerships are important in sustainable development because responsibility is widely shared.
Typically, a number of organizations or levels of government are responsible for one aspect of an issue, but none is responsible for the whole issue. This fact applies to issues we reported in the past, such as climate change, biodiversity, or the management of pesticides. This year's Report is about the way to make partnerships work, and the consequences when they don't. Smog is a good example of what happens when partnerships fail. Smog is a very serious issue, with important consequences for our health and the environment.