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Notes for remarks

by

The Honourable Laurel Broten
Minister of the Environment

Reception for Industry Leaders (Toronto)
“Partners for a Sustainable Future”

Queen’s Park, Toronto
Monday, September 26, 2005

(Check Against Delivery)

Thank you all for joining me here this evening.

I want to take a moment to thank John Wilkinson, my Parliamentary Assistant, for his kind introduction.

John has been a valuable resource and a wonderful colleague over my first few months as Minister of the Environment – and I know we are just still getting started!

I also want to take a moment to thank you all for joining with me this evening to have some casual conversation and taking time from your busy schedules to connect and reconnect.

Whether we are just meeting or have met before…we have a common understanding.

You and I both know that government cannot do it alone. We understand that in an era of environmental change - unlike any we have seen before or even had the capacity to measure – we cannot make the changes necessary to build a better environment if we act alone.

You are our partners in our fight for a sustainable future.

So we share a collective call to action.

You are the business and industry leaders today who, for lack of a better term, “get” the environment.

You help set the stage by which others measure their environmental performance and records.

As business leaders who understand the benefits of seeking the competitive advantage of tomorrow, today, you know that your shareholders, your mentors, your customers are the same Ontarians who rightly demand from me a future with clean air and clean water.

And, you are the leaders who are able to put progress into perspective.

Who would want to poison our lakes, air and children and call it ‘just part of doing business’? You understand that strong returns and economic growth require a healthy environment with an educated healthy populous.

The McGuinty government also “gets” the environment.

From drawing the lines on curbing urban sprawl, to finding new sources for rapid transit funding, to protecting drinking water a its source, our Government recognizes that a true competitive advantage is big picture type of thinking.

We will have our differences of opinion as we move forward. There will be times when those differences in details will seem large, and others where they will seem small. But, I am committed to listening to your concerns as well as your advice, suggestions and ideas.

I will not take up any more of your time this evening, as I still have another half of the room to meet.

But, when you leave here tonight if you can remember one thing that I have said, please remember this: that our collective pursuit is of critical importance. It won’t be easy but nothing worthwhile ever is. If we do it right, we all win. And we will.

Thank you.

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