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Statement from Minister of Environment Pauline Frost on commitments to caribou and climate change in new US-Canadian agreement

Wednesday, 3 March 2021 15:29

On February 23, the President of the United States and the Canadian Prime Minister met and announced the Roadmap for a Renewed US-Canada Partnership. Minister of Environment Pauline Frost sees this announcement setting course in the right direction.

On February 23, the President of the United States and the Canadian Prime Minister met and announced the Roadmap for a Renewed US-Canada Partnership.

Minister of Environment Pauline Frost sees this announcement setting course in the right direction. She offers the following statement:

“I am very pleased to see the environmental commitments from the Prime Minister and President in the joint roadmap. I am encouraged by the awareness of Indigenous rights and leadership in environmental stewardship, the forward-thinking approach to climate change action and the overall collaboration approach on protecting our shared environment.  

As I’ve said many times before, animals like salmon and caribou do not stop at our borders. The effects of climate change and our responsibilities to sustainably manage our impacts on the environment cannot be accomplished by nations working in isolation. Environmental stewardship is a global effort and it is imperative that neighbouring jurisdictions work with us.

The recognition of the ecological importance of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is perhaps the most exciting element of this announcement. The commitment to work together to help safeguard the Porcupine caribou herd calving grounds that are invaluable to the Gwich’in and Inuvialuit peoples’ culture is encouraging.

Together with our other Canadian partners within the Porcupine Caribou Management Agreement, we have been working so hard to see this level of acknowledgement and commitment to Indigenous rights and environmental protection. I am elated to see this progress and am excited to see it come to fruition on the land.

I commend the specific mention to the US rejoining the Paris Agreement, which aligns well with Yukon’s actions to address climate change.

I am optimistic that this renewed relationship will lead to meaningful steps in the right direction for salmon management and conservation.

Finally, I would like to acknowledge the nomination of Debra Haaland to be the first Indigenous Secretary of the Interior. As an Indigenous woman, I understand first-hand the importance of representation in leadership roles and the positive impact it can have for our culture, in our communities, and for the success of future generations.”

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