Environment committee  Mr. Chair, thank you for inviting me here today. I am delighted to have been named commissioner and feel honoured to join such a talented team of professionals in the Office of the Auditor General. I have the privilege of building on a very strong foundation that is based on the

Environment committee  Well, different legal definitions have been adopted in the United Nations and elsewhere.

Environment committee  I'd be very happy--

Environment committee  My understanding of the precautionary principle.... I think it was set out in the 1992 Earth Summit. It's contained in Agenda 21. It's contained in the Rio principles. I think there are different operational definitions for precautionary principle. I think one that's emerging now

Environment committee  Within the context of the precautionary principle or generally?

Environment committee  I think the visions set out by the Auditor General as well as the recommendations contained in the green ribbon panel's report are ones I agree with, every one of them. I looked very closely at the green ribbon panel's report before having the discussion on moving into this post.

Environment committee  I would act as an advocate for good management.

Environment committee  Yes, sir.

Environment committee  This is a complicated discussion. This being my second day on the job, I look forward to your advice, your interpretation, and your view of this matter. I would go back to my observations on the sustainable development strategies together with those of my predecessors, including

Environment committee  Viewing the testimony of my predecessor, Mr. Thompson, and also looking at the draft of Bill C-474, I think that the office has been clear that there is a need for an overarching federal vision of sustainable development. Operationally, the devil is going to be in the details, as

Environment committee  Mr. Chair, thank you very much for the question. I apologize, but I am going to have to answer in English. Part of the mandate of the commissioner's office—and they have looked at it in previous reports—has been Canada's role and its participation in the international environme

Environment committee  The recommendations on the continuation of the separate reports have been accepted by the Auditor General, and this will be a practice that will continue. More specifically, on the generation of annual reports, my understanding is that now, at least in the short term, there will

Environment committee  Yes, sir, it is. Let me reiterate: it is a strategy of me and of my colleagues. We very much look forward to working with you and the members of this committee. We need your advice and your views on how to fix the problems with the strategies and to make them more relevant.

Environment committee  My understanding, sir, is right now the scope is to look at the strategies that are generated by the category one agencies, as well as some crown corporations. Right now there is no law that would mandate the office to look at an overarching strategy. If there is a policy, then o

Environment committee  There are 26 or 27 departments. Obviously, they would include Environment Canada, Transport Canada, Industry Canada and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and there are three, four or five corporations.