Ottawa – At a press conference today on Parliament Hill, young Canadians announce their leadership in the absence of progressive action for the World Summit on Sustainable Development. “While Canada struggles to achieve its 1992 Earth Summit commitments, young people are leading initiatives to promote a sustainable future. We invite the government to follow our example,” states Geneva Guerin of Canada’s Youth Summit Team.

The panel of four young experts will outline their platform for Canada’s role at the Summit. Guerin stresses that Canada must end its resistance to the precautionary principle in protecting the environment and accept its greater responsibility towards equitable development. Katsitsaronkwas Jacobs, also of the Youth Summit Team, shares Indigenous youth’s will to lead sustainable development in their communities. Robert Ménard, President of ENviornnement JEUnesse, declares that the Summit must announce Canada’s ratification of the Kyoto Protocol. It should also trigger action on Environment Canada’s framework on education for sustainability, states Lindsay Tefler of the Sierra Youth Coalition.

The United Nations Association in Canada convened the panel of young experts to deliver their messages for the World Summit in recognition of International Youth Day.