Statement by the Prime Minister on National Public Service Week
June 9, 2019
Ottawa, Ontario
The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement for National Public Service Week, which runs from June 9 to 15, 2019:
“This week, we celebrate our dedicated public servants across Canada, who work hard to deliver real results for Canadians.
“If we look at what Canada’s Public Service has accomplished this past year, it’s easy to see why it is one of the most effective in the world. Whether supporting free trade negotiations, rolling out the successful legalization and regulation of cannabis, or delivering the essential services and benefits that Canadian families count on, public servants show day in and day out their commitment to making Canada a better place.
“Federal public servants are continually improving the way they deliver services and programs to Canadians, including through Beyond2020, the Public Service’s renewal framework. They are advancing more open, transparent, and evidence-based decision making, and are tracking results of their work to make sure that it is benefitting Canadians. Public servants are also finding new ways to work with communities from coast to coast to coast, gathering diverse perspectives that lead to more holistic, inclusive, and effective solutions.
“The Government of Canada is committed to a respectful and collaborative working relationship with federal public servants, and a cornerstone of this has been bargaining in good faith with Canada’s public sector unions. We hope to continue to reach agreements that are good for public servants and fair for Canadian taxpayers.
“The Government of Canada has also taken significant steps to make the federal public service a better, more inclusive place to work. We passed legislation to help eliminate harassment and violence in the federal workplace, to restore a fair and balanced approach to federal labour relations, and to ensure equal pay for work of equal value in the federal public service. In addition, we introduced measures to make the public service more inclusive for people with disabilities, and to unmuzzle federal scientists so they can speak freely about their work and better inform Canadians.
“We know that members of the Public Service continue to experience unacceptable challenges caused by ongoing issues with the Phoenix pay system. The Government of Canada is working to make sure that every employee is paid properly and on time. We have provided additional resources to address and reduce the likelihood of these errors, and to work with partners and identify options for a pay system that meets the future needs of Canada’s world-class public service.
“To our public servants: Thank you. Your professionalism, creativity, efforts, and ideas are strengthening our communities and our country. I look forward to working with you to continue to tackle today’s complex challenges, for the benefit of all Canadians.”
Canada to ban harmful single-use plastics and hold companies responsible for plastic waste
June 10, 2019
Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Quebec
Plastic pollution is a global challenge that requires immediate action. Plastic waste ends up in our landfills and incinerators, litters our parks and beaches, and pollutes our rivers, lakes, and oceans, entangling and killing turtles, fish, and marine mammals.
Less than 10 per cent of plastic used in Canada gets recycled. Without a change in course, Canadians will throw away an estimated $11 billion worth of plastic materials each year by 2030. We’ve reached a defining moment, and this is a problem we simply can’t afford to ignore.
That is why the Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced that the Government of Canada is taking additional steps to reduce Canada’s plastic waste, support innovation, and promote the use of affordable and safe alternatives. Working with governments and businesses across Canada, the Government of Canada will:
- ban harmful single-use plastics as early as 2021 (such as plastic bags, straws, cutlery, plates, and stir sticks) where supported by scientific evidence and warranted, and take other steps to reduce pollution from plastic products and packaging
- work with provinces and territories to introduce standards and targets for companies that manufacture plastic products or sell items with plastic packaging so they become responsible for their plastic waste.
These measures will be grounded in scientific evidence and will align, where appropriate, with similar actions being taken in the European Union and other countries. They will also support the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment’s development of an action plan to implement the Canada-wide Strategy on Zero Plastic Waste.
By improving how we manage plastic waste and investing in innovative solutions, we can reduce 1.8 million tonnes of carbon pollution, generate billions of dollars in revenue, and create approximately 42,000 jobs.
With the longest coastline in the world and one-quarter of the world’s freshwater, Canada has a unique responsibility – and opportunity – to lead in reducing plastic pollution. From launching the Ocean Plastics Charter at the 2018 G7 Summit to investing in new Canadian technologies that turn plastic waste into valuable resources, we are doing just that. Together, we can make our economy stronger and take an important step toward protecting wildlife and the places Canadians love.
Quotes
“Canadians know first-hand the impacts of plastic pollution, and are tired of seeing their beaches, parks, streets, and shorelines littered with plastic waste. We have a responsibility to work with our partners to reduce plastic pollution, protect the environment, and create jobs and grow our economy. We owe it to our kids to keep the environment clean and safe for generations to come.”
—The Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
“We’ve all seen the disturbing images of fish, sea turtles, whales, and other wildlife being injured or dying because of plastic garbage in our oceans. Canadians expect us to act. That’s why our government intends to ban harmful single-use plastic products where science warrants it, and why we’re working with partners across Canada and around the world to reduce plastic pollution. Taking these steps will help create tens of thousands of middle-class jobs and make our economy even stronger—while protecting fish, whales, and other wildlife, and preserving the places we love.”
—The Hon. Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change
“The health of our oceans is vital to the economic, cultural, and social well-being of Canada’s coastal communities. We know plastic pollution harms Canada’s oceans, wildlife, communities—and our economy. It’s a problem we simply can’t afford to ignore. We are working with industry to prevent and remove ghost fishing gear, to protect marine animals and the marine environment now and for future generations.”
—The Hon. Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard
Quick Facts
- Every year, Canadians throw away over 3 million tonnes of plastic waste. This represents up to $8 billion per year in lost value and wastes valuable resources and energy.
- About one-third of the plastics used in Canada are for single-use or short-lived products and packaging. In fact, in Canada, up to 15 billion plastic bags are used every year and close to 57 million straws are used daily.
- Every year, 640,000 tons of abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear enters our oceans. It can persist in the environment for up to 600 years.
- Every year, one million birds and over 100,000 sea mammals worldwide are injured or die when they mistake plastic for food or become entangled.
- Globally, one garbage truckload of plastic waste enters the ocean every minute, and that amount is increasing steadily.
- Over the last 25 years, nearly 800,000 volunteers have removed over 1.3 million kilograms of trash from across Canada’s shorelines through Ocean Wise and World Wildlife Fund’s Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup program, supported by the Government of Canada. The most commonly littered items on our shorelines are single-use or short-lived products, many made of plastics.
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Associated Links
- Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment - Strategy on Zero Plastic Waste
- Ocean Plastics Charter
- Government helping small businesses develop sustainable solutions
- Investing in Canada Plan
- Investing in our oceans
- Economic Study of the Canadian Plastic Industry, Markets and Waste: summary report
