A section of Canada's "Speech from the Throne", delivered on 04/02/02, pertaining to climate change initiatives is reproduced here for the convenience of readers.
"Sustainable Development
Safeguarding our natural environment - in the here and now, and for generations to come - is one of the great responsibilities of citizens and governments in the 21st century.
The tide of global population and the imperatives of economic development - no longer restricted to the small minority of rich countries - make sustainable development a challenge of national and global magnitude.
Canadians, as stewards of vast geography and abundant resources, feel a keen sense of responsibility to help the world meet the environmental challenge.
And in so doing, to show how this challenge can be turned to advantage through leadership in "green technologies"; through more energy-efficient transportation and housing; and through non-polluting industrial processes. All of which will stimulate innovation, new market opportunities, and cleaner communities.
This spirit will animate Canada's approach to climate change.
Halting the increasingly damaging impact of human activity on climate is a project of global scale and decades duration.
The Government of Canada will respect its commitments to the Kyoto accord on climate change in a way that produces long-term and enduring results while maintaining a strong and growing economy. It will do so by developing an equitable national plan, in partnership with provincial and territorial governments and other stakeholders.
We have begun, and we will persevere. And we will go beyond Kyoto to strengthen our environmental stewardship.
First, the Government will begin by putting its own house in order. It will undertake a 10-year, $3.5 billion program to clean up contaminated sites for which the Government is responsible. And the Government of Canada will augment this with a $500 million program of similar duration to do its part in the remediation of certain other sites, notably the Sydney tar ponds.
Second, the Government will intensify its commitment to clean air and clean water. We will engage the United States on trans-boundary issues and the provinces to achieve more stringent national guidelines on air and water quality. And we are committing the resources needed to ensure safe drinking water in First Nations' communities.
Third, building on recommendations of the National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy, the Government will start incorporating key indicators on clean water, clean air, and emissions reduction into its decision making.
Fourth, the Government will increase the resources to support innovative environmental technologies and further encourage their commercialization.
Fifth, we will engage Canadians directly. Our One Tonne Challenge aims to raise awareness and provide Canadians with information on how their individual consumption choices contribute to the emissions that drive climate change. The objective - the challenge - is to reduce emissions by 1,000 kilograms per person, per year. Because environmental stewardship must be everybody's responsibility."