GATINEAU, QC, Aug. 12, 2021 /CNW/ - The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Heritage, announced today the creation of two ministerial consulting committees to help support a green shift in the arts, culture, heritage and sport sectors. One committee will be dedicated to the arts, culture and heritage sectors while the other will be dedicated to the sport sector.
Canadian Heritage recognizes that a green shift in these sectors can encourage further change and engage society as a whole in efforts to address climate change issues.
These committees will help guide Canadian Heritage in supporting the arts, culture, heritage and sport sectors as they develop, adopt or enhance their environmental practices as well as continue their important work as leaders of environmental change in our society.
With the help of key stakeholders, the Department of Canadian Heritage aims to strengthen its role in ensuring that it can be a leader in contributing to Canada's goal of net zero emissions by 2050.
The members of both committees were chosen by the minister to effectively represent each sector, as well as Canada's diversity.
The members of the arts, culture and heritage sectors committee are:
Valerie Creighton, President and CEO, Canada Media Fund;
Marcia Douglas, Senior Director, Business Affairs, Canadian Media Producers Association;
Jérôme Dupras, Professor of Ecological Economics at the Université du Québec en Outaouais and holder of the Canada Research Chair in Ecological Economics at the Institute of Temperate Forests Science (ISFORT);
Ian Garrett, Associate Professor of Ecological Design for Performance, York University in Toronto. Co-founder and director of the Centre for Sustainable Practice in the Arts (CSPA), and Producer at ToasterLab;
Clara George, Chair of Green Committee, Directors Guild of Canada;
David Hardy, Vice President, Sustainability & Stakeholder Affairs, William F. White International Inc.;
Zena Harris, President and Founder, Green Spark Group;
David Maggs, Artistic Director, Gros Morne Summer Music, Sustainability Expert, Author, Metcalf Foundation Innovation Fellow; Senior Fellow, Institute for Advanced Studies in Sustainability;
Benoit Mathieu, Advisor – Strategy & Circular Economy, Écoscéno;
Caroline Voyer, Executive Director, Conseil québécois des événements écoresponsables;
Keith Woods, President-Elect of International Alliance of Theatrical Stages Employees (IATSE) and chair of the IA national green committee.
The members of the sport sector committee are:
James Lavallée, canoe and kayak athlete, multiple medalist and a member of the Canadian Junior National Kayak Team;
Geneviève Marchand, Operations Manager, Tennis Canada;
Rob Millington, Assistant Professor, Kinesiology, Brock University;
Michele O'Keefe, chair, SPORT4ONTARIO Board of Directors;
Madeleine Orr, Assistant Professor of Sport Management at SUNY Cortland; Researcher at UBC Okanagan. Founder & Co-Director of The Sport Ecology Group; public speaker and advocate for climate action;
Sarah-Ève Pelletier, Director, Sport Business & Sustainability, Canadian Olympic Committee;
Crystal Rabley, Sustainability Chair, Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games and Business Performance analyst, Walker Industries' Environmental division;
Oluseyi (Seyi) Smith, Member of Eco Athletes advocacy group and the IOC Sustainability & Legacy Commission;
Dan Wilcock, President & CEO, Canada Games Council (CGC);
Brian Wilson, Professor and Director of the Centre for Sport and Sustainability (CSS) at the University of British Columbia.
The creation of the committees is one more step Canadian Heritage is taking to go green and curb climate change, such as working with the provinces, territories, municipalities, Indigenous peoples and all stakeholders to integrate the green shift into policies and programs. Canadian Heritage is also signing on to the goals of the Greening Government Strategy, collaborating with national museums to raise awareness of climate change and working with the Minister of Environment and Climate Change to provide clear direction on how national heritage sites should be designated and preserved. The department is also investing in sustainable infrastructure such as the new Ottawa Public Library and Library and Archives Canada shared facility and offsetting the department's greenhouse gas emissions with annual investments in the Greening Government Fund.
Quotes
"The sport and cultural sectors have shown they want to tackle climate change and are in a unique position to make a difference. Not only can they reduce the environmental footprint of their activities, they also have the capacity to transform society as they inspire us though their stories and activities. I cannot wait to start working with the members of the new consulting committees and see how our government can help with their efforts."
—The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Heritage
Quick Facts
Canadian Heritage held a series of environmental roundtables in 2020 to assess the current situation with arts, culture, heritage and sport stakeholders, and plan the next steps in their ecological transition together.
The Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act, recently introduced in Parliament, is an important part of Canada's work to address climate change and bring together innovations from the financial sector, businesses, communities and Canadians. This legislation will legally bind the government to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 and require annual reports on key measures that the federal government, including Crown Corporations, has taken to manage climate-related financial risks and opportunities.
Consistent with stakeholder input from ministerial roundtables in 2020 and broader government priorities, Canadian Heritage will incorporate environmental measures into the Recovery and Reopening Funds. These funds will also contribute to organizations' overall capacity and viability, which could in turn be directed toward environmental efforts.
