The first Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Parliament Hill Days in Ottawa could lead to a new, multiparty caucus of members of Parliament from the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River region.
The Oct. 26-27 event was organized by a coalition of ten organizations. More than 40 parliamentarians and a cross-section of Great Lakes and St. Lawrence enthusiasts participated, including IJC Co-Chairs Gordon Walker and Lana Pollack and IJC Commissioners Richard Morgan and Richard Moy. Also involved were nongovernmental organizations, mayors, business interests, conservation authorities, scientists and academics. During a reception, Vance Badawey, member of Parliament for Niagara Centre, announced his intention to form a multi-party Great Lakes and St. Lawrence parliamentarian caucus.
“The region of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River is a vital trade corridor and ecosystem shared by Canada and the United States … Yet we do not have a shared vision and plan to build a strong economy in this region while preserving it for future generations,” Mark Fisher, president and CEO of the Council of the Great Lakes Region, said of the proposal. “The first Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Parliament Hill Day and the potential creation of a regional regions was meant to address this gap.”
The following day, mayors, business representatives, and environmental and fisheries advocates from the “Hill Days” organizing groups met with members of Parliament from all parties. The proposed Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Collaborative Initiative aims to bring together government officials and a broad spectrum of interests who share the goal of protecting the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River while growing the economy.
"I am very pleased to see so many groups and elected people coming together to work towards progress in the region,” IJC Canadian Chair Walker said in remarks delivered as a keynote speaker at the reception. “The IJC has been encouraging just such an approach for some time, with a view that only good could come out of the effort.”
IJC US Chair Pollack added, “Collaboration among elected officials, the public and private sectors, and civil society has worked well in the United States to advance the best interests Great Lakes and St. Lawrence region. I was amazed at the participation and enthusiasm for this new endeavor and offer my congratulations and thanks to those who have worked to realize this success."
Great Lakes Day and St. Lawrence Parliament Hill Day organizers Lead Organizers
- Council of the Great Lakes Region
- Great Lakes-St Lawrence Cities Initiative
- Freshwater Future
- Great Lakes Fishery Commission
Supporting Partners
- World Wildlife Fund
- Environmental Defence Canada
- Stratégies Saint Laurent
- Alliance for the Great Lakes
- Canadian Environmental Law Association
- Regroupement des organismes de bassins versants de Québec
The new proposal for collaboration was inspired by the US Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, through which federal agencies fund projects to target the biggest threats to the Great Lakes ecosystem.
The IJC has a special role in stewardship of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River region. Under the 2012 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, the IJC is mandated to assess how well the governments are doing with actions to restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the waters of the Great Lakes.The new proposal for collaboration was inspired by the US Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, through which federal agencies fund projects to target the biggest threats to the Great Lakes ecosystem.
In October, Canada and the United States released the first Progress Report of the Parties describing the actions taken under the 2012 Agreement. The IJC is preparing its own independent Triennial Assessment of Progress. The assessment will incorporate the views of citizens in the region. You can learn more and participate in the process online at ParticipateIJC.org, and in IJC public meetings held throughout the basin, most recently in Toronto and Milwaukee.
Subscribe to our Newsletter!
