Notice of Intent to Conduct a Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Canada-Panama Free Trade Agreement

Closing date:  December 21, 2008

The Government of Canada will undertake a Strategic Environmental Assessment (EA) of the negotiations for a Canada-Panama Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Comments are invited on any likely and significant environmental impacts on Canada of a prospective FTA with Panama.

The Government of Canada is committed to sustainable development. Mutually supportive trade, investment and environmental policies can contribute to this objective. To this end, the Minister of International Trade, with the support of his Cabinet colleagues, has directed trade officials to improve their understanding of, and information based on, the relationship between trade and environmental issues at the earliest stages of decision making, and to do this through an open and inclusive process. Environmental Assessments of trade negotiations are important elements of this work.

This process is guided by the 2001 Framework for Conducting Environmental Assessments of Trade Negotiations and with direction from the 2004 Cabinet Directive on the Environmental Assessment of Policy, Plan, and Program Proposals.

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All interested parties are invited to submit their views on any likely and significant environmental impacts on Canada resulting from a Canada-Panama Free Trade Agreement (FTA) by Saturday, December 21, 2008. The timeline for consultation for the Environmental Assessment process has been shortened due to the pace of the on-going negotiatons.

Contributions can be sent by e-mail, fax or mail to:

Consultations & Liaison Division
Environmental Assessment Consultations – Canada-Panama FTA
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
Lester B. Pearson Building
125 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, ON K1A 0G2
E-mail: consultations@international.gc.ca
Fax:: 613-944-0757