Thank you, Madam Chair.
My colleagues and I are pleased to be here today.
We are pleased to be here today to have a chance to provide an overview of Environment and Climate Change Canada and then to have the opportunity to respond to your questions.
We have provided you with a deck, which gives a high-level overview of the department. We don't propose to walk through the deck, but as just mentioned, colleagues at the table are hoping to spend a few minutes each to describe to you in some detail their area of responsibility. That way, before we respond more deeply to your particular areas of interest, we'll have a chance to talk briefly about nature, climate change, weather, environmental protection, including plastics, and foundational science performed by the department.
I'll lead off by providing a brief overview of the department, before turning it over to my colleagues here at the table in the area of their responsibilities as they appear in the deck before you.
ECCC's mandate at the highest level is to protect and conserve Canada's natural heritage and ensure a clean, safe and sustainable environment for present and future generations. Some of the services the department provides have been in place for many years. One of the most venerable parts of our department is almost 150 years old; that is the Meteorological Service of Canada, which was formed in 1871. The Wildlife Service, which Sue Milburn-Hopwood is here today to represent, is coming up to 75 years of age, and the department itself is going to be celebrating its 50th anniversary next year.
We are part of a portfolio that includes Parks Canada and the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada, which I understand you will be hearing from next week. Each has its own deputy head.
The department has approximately 7,200 employees. More than half are located outside the national capital region: 56%, to be precise. There are about 8% in the Pacific and Yukon region, 11% in the Prairies and the north, 18% in Ontario, 13% in Quebec and 7% in the Atlantic region. Forty per cent of our department is made up of scientists. Other specialists include enforcement officers, as represented by Anne-Marie Pelletier; regulatory personnel; international negotiators; wildlife biologists; and of course, economic policy, finance and HR professionals. We're also really pleased that about 15% of our staff are students or recent grads.
The minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada is primarily responsible for 29 acts, some of which are listed in the deck, not all of them, and has secondary responsibility in a further 18. Under those pieces of legislation, there are approximately 80 regulations in place that address issues as diverse as pollution prevention, weather modification and wildlife protection emergency management.
The last thought I'll leave you with is that when we think about our mandate, it's really important to underscore that we work in an area of shared jurisdiction with the provinces and territories. This fact means that we put a premium on partnerships and collaboration in all aspects of our work: with provincial and territorial colleagues, of course, but also with indigenous peoples, local governments, NGOs, other federal departments and industry. You'll hear that theme of collaboration come through in all of my colleagues' remarks.
With that, thank you, and I will turn to Jackie Gonçalves.