Environment committee  As I said in my testimony, the position of the current commissioner of the environment and sustainable development is a very strong one, but we believe there are certain elements that would require some adjusting to actually strengthen the mandate of that position and that office

Environment committee  I certainly think it requires an enhanced position from the existing commissioner's role in order to carry that weight and carry that influence because as we are gathering here, this isn't just down to one agency or one stakeholder. This is across the board and society wide in te

Environment committee  I'm afraid I don't remember.

Environment committee  Just to reinforce that message, actually, Canada is a very vast country, and the needs of society are very broad from one end to the next. The language that needs to be used, in terms of engagement and encouraging participation of the public, has to be unique and tailored to the

Environment committee  I think it's quite a complex relationship, actually. When we talk about leadership, it's often the case that leadership can be found from the private sector just as much, if not more so than in government. I think, in many respects, it's how governments take on this responsibi

Environment committee  Very much so, yes. In all the institutions I've mentioned, there is the element of a watchdog or an opportunity to provide accountability to government and to public offices on their commitments if they're not meeting them. Also, to widen that window, it allows that access withi

Environment committee  I have just a couple of points, really, before I pass it on to other witnesses. This is about high-level commitment, isn't it? Sustainable development isn't just something we forget about, and then think about when everything else is done. This demands huge attention across all

Environment committee  Thank you. Sorry, I didn't mean to misinterpret your question.

Environment committee  Sure, and I can see that my co-witnesses would like to answer the question, too, so I would prefer to open the floor to the other witnesses.

Environment committee  Certainly. Thank you very much for your question and your comment. I would very much agree with that. I think one of the difficulties we're experiencing—and this is common across many different parts of the world, which is why we're here today—is that when we look at sustainabi

Environment committee  Thank you. Thank you for the question. I can't with all confidence speak on behalf of my fellow witnesses today, but in terms of creating wealth and in terms of a dollar wealth, one of the experiences we've found, which I'm sure is the case with many of my colleagues, is that wh

Environment committee  I think that if you take wealth creation as front and centre, then you're disregarding many other crucial aspects to what is in fact sustainable development in terms of ensuring a prosperous and healthy society for all. In order to safeguard the wealth creation that you are tal

Environment committee  Madam Chair, honourable members, it is a pleasure and an honour to have this opportunity to give my views on Canada's Federal Sustainable Development Act. I'm here today speaking on behalf of the World Future Council, an organization founded in 2007, which endeavours to bring th