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Election Statement: Five Priorities for Sustainability
January 10, 2006

Canadians go to the polls in less than two weeks. We need to elect leaders who have a vision of what a sustainable Canada could look like. We need to elect leaders who will govern on behalf of all Canadians. We need leaders who do not see Canada merely as a US branch plant. We need leaders who can integrate economic, environmental and social goals into sustainable policies that will benefit all Canadians and restore our reputation in our own country and around the world as a caring, compassionate nation.

Not only do we need leaders with a vision of a sustainable Canada, we need leaders who will develop policies to help us move toward our vision. The Canadian Institute for Environmental Law and Policy (CIELAP), recently published a report entitled Sustainable Development in Canada: 2005 Update in which we outlined five priorities where the federal government could start - if sustainability is our vision. These are:

policies to encourage all Canadians from all sectors to meet the obligations of the Kyoto Agreement
policies to address childhood poverty and deprivation, including early education and daycare
policies to help cities address issues of public transit and environmental infrastructure
policies to 'green' Canadian innovation and competitiveness
policies to address homelessness in Canada.

Why not ask your candidate what he or she proposes to do to address any one of the above priorities. It is only when we begin to understand what a sustainable society could be and commit to moving towards that vision that we will be able to address issues such as gun violence and terrorism.

CIELAP's questions for the candidates focus on sustainability, water, energy and innovation and are on our website at www.cielap.org.

Canadians deserve politicians with such a vision.

Anne Mitchell
Executive Director

The Canadian Institute for Environmental Law and Policy has for been commenting on and monitoring policy and regulatory changes related to the environment for 30 years.