Bilateral Relations

Canada — Russia

During a State visit to Moscow in 1989, the Prime Minister signed an Agreement on Environmental Cooperation with the USSR. The objective of the Agreement, which was renewed in 1997 for another four years, is to enhance environmental cooperation and assist the Canadian industry in marketing its products, services and technologies. In recent months, the department's bilateral agreement with Russia has been relatively inactive, in large part due to the dissolution of Russia's State Committee on the Environment Although the department's bilateral agreement with Russia officially expires in 2001, neither party has made any move to formally terminate the agreement, and we are considering options to build a relationship focused on policy exchange with the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources, which has assumed responsibility for the environment portfolio in the Russian Federal Government.

The Canada-Russia Mixed Environmental Commission (MEC) was established as the umbrella mechanism to provide direction and oversee bilateral cooperation under the 1989 Agreement. The first five years of the agreement were quite active in terms of technical projects and bilateral exchanges. The MEC has met every year, alternately in Canada and in Russia, to review the work program. When the Green Plan funding was terminated, however, the level of activity declined significantly. Environment Canada has no formal bilateral work program under way with Russia at the present time.

Project Implementation

IRD's International Policy and Cooperation Branch is the coordinator for the implementation of the Agreement.

Illustration of Work

The Agreement has produced modest but positive results. Examples of cooperative projects under the Agreement include a first ever survey of Russia's parks and reserves; scientific exchanges mainly in the water sector with the National Water Research Institute in Burlington; transfer of equipment to better trace pollutants; the publication of a first ever atlas on wetlands in Russia.