International Environmental Diplomacy: Canada’s Actions in the Stockholm Convention, the Basel Convention, and the Montreal Protocol
Canada’s Role in Global Environmental Governance According to John Kirton, a University of Toronto political science professor, “Canada has long been a successful pioneer in generating multilateral environmental agreements and and institutions for the global community, and its legacy…generates exceptional domestic unity and international respect” (Abstract). Canada’s respect for the environment stems from its profound understanding of the impact other countries have had on its own lands, fisheries, and other natural resources over the years. Canada’s role in global environmental governance (GEP), then, has always been large and well-defined; as Tanner put it, “Canada has taken a leading role” (p. 1).
Canada and the Basel Convention The Basel Convention of 1989 was signed on March 22 of that year, and now includes 172 countries. The Basel Convention was based on concern about the transboundary movement and the disposal of hazardous wastes which was first raise in the late 1970s and early 1980s (Government of Canada, “Basel Convention”). Canada was a part of the Convention’s development and one off its original signatories; Canada also participated in global environmental governance (GEP) by using the Export and Import of Hazardous Waste Regulations (a prior governing law known as EIHWR) to enforce hazardous waste laws already in effect (Government of Canada, “Basel Convention”). Canada has been and continues to be a major participant in the Basel Convention actions; the Waste Reduction and Management Division of Environment Canada has attended, organized, and led numerous Basel Convention work on this issue throughout the decades since its inception (Chasek, Downie, and Brown).
Canada and The Stockholm Convention The Stockholm Convention was ratified by Canada on May 23rd, 2001 in order to protect the health of human beings and the environment as a whole from Persistent Organic Pollutants (known as POPs); these include chemicals like DDT, PCBs, and dioxins, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The Stockholm Convention was meant to eliminate or restrict the production and use of POPs that are intentionally produced while disposing of them in a safe manner that is in accord with international laws and guidelines (Chasek, Downie, and Brown). Canada was very involved in Stockholm Convention implementation due to the constant high risk exposure to POPs from foreign countries’ waste products (Government of Canada). In order to prevent the high risk in northern Canada for POP exposure, the Canadian government uses the Chemicals Management Plan to assess harmful chemicals used, as well as regulations and policies at the federal and provincial levels (Government of Canada. “Stockholm Convention”).
Canada and The Montreal Protocol According to the Government of Canada, the nation was one of the first signatories on the Montreal Protocol on Substances the Deplete the Ozone Layer as of 1987, and progress has been made at the federal, provincial, and territorial levels of government, reducing ozone-depleting substances’ emissions through regulations (Government of Canada, “Ozone Layer Protection”). Sweet noted that the Montreal Protocol is only part of the fight against climate change; it is also only part of Canada’s intensive, long-lasting, and stellar record of global environmental governance.

Works Cited
“Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal.” Environmental and Climate Change Canada. Government of Canada, 2013. Web. 9 February 2016.
“Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs).” Environmental and Climate Change Canada. Government of Canada, 2013. Web. 9 February 2016.
Chasek, Pamela S., David L. Downie, and Janet Brown. Global Environmental Politics. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 2013. Print.
Environmental Protection Agency. “Persistent Organic Pollutants: A Global Issue, A Global Response.” Environmental Protection Agency. Environmental Protection Agency, 2015. Web. 9 February 2016.
Kirton, John. “Creating Coherence in Global Environmental Governance: Canada’s 2002 Opportunity.” University of Toronto. Canada @ the World Conference, Toronto, Ottowa, 2000. Westin Hotel, Ottawa, Toronto. 30 November – 1 December 2000. Paper prepared for a panel on “Multilateral Environmental Agreements and Institutions: Making them Work in the Twenty-First Century World.”
Sweet, Adam. “Statement: Canada Celebrates 25 years of Success with Montreal Protocol.” Environmental and Climate Change Canada. Government of Canada, 2012. Web. 9 February 2016.
Tanner, Michael. “The Evolution of Environmental Management in Canada.” The London Journal of Canadian Studies 13:1-11 (1997).