Minister McKenna Talks Climate Change and Water Issues at IISD’s Winnipeg Headquarters
IISD was pleased to welcome the Honourable Catherine McKenna to our Winnipeg office to discuss some of the most pressing issues we all work on.
The Honourable Catherine McKenna, Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change, impressed IISD staff by biking through the rain for a meeting at our Winnipeg headquarters on Thursday, May 26, 2016.
It was a great way for her to see some of the city’s sites—such as the Canadian Museum for Human Rights—and also to express her commitment to taking both small and larger actions on climate change.
Minister McKenna used her visit to learn more about IISD’s work at IISD Experimental Lakes Area and the Prairie Climate Centre, our efforts to manage freshwater resources, and our work on climate change adaptation and mitigation; energy; resilience; bioeconomy and comprehensive wealth.
“You’re doing great work. It makes me really happy,” Minister McKenna told IISD research staff.
“We have really great people working really hard [in government]. But it is quite clear we need support and we need to be working in partnership with great organizations that are also focused on evidence-based approaches,” she added.
“We can’t do all of this on our own and you are out in the field doing some really great work.”
Minister McKenna praised IISD’s efforts to work in partnership with other organizations such as the Lake Winnipeg Foundation and said this type of coordination is critical to achieving results.
“We need to think more strategically about how do we make sure there’s an overlap and that everyone’s sharing the information and the data,” she said.
She also described the Government of Canada’s efforts to work with provinces and territories to take action on climate change, put a price on carbon and reduce carbon pollution.
“My focus is to get the best ideas and bring people together and really create momentum around climate change,” Minister McKenna said, describing the need to develop an “ambitious but realistic vision.”
“That’s the only way we’re going to get serious action on this.”
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