The IJC and the 21 st Century - INTERNATIONAL JOINT COMMISSION

Original publication date: October 21, 1997 The IJC and the 21st Century Response of the IJC to a Request by the Governments of Canada and the United States for Proposals on How To Best Assist Them to Meet the Environmental Challenges of the 21st Century. [...] In 1997, the governments of Canada and the United States asked the International Joint Commission to provide advice regarding how the Commission might best assist the parties to meet the environmental challenges of the 21st century. [...] 5 The Parties “being equally desirous to prevent disputes regarding the use of boundary waters and to settle all questions which are now pending between the United States and the Dominion of Canada involving the rights, obligations, or interests of either in relation to the other or to the inhabitants of the other, along their common frontier, and to make provision for the adjustment and settlemen. [...] governments asked the International Joint Commission to “examine its important mission in the light of relevant agreements and references, and to provide to the parties, within the next six months, proposals on how the Commission might best assist the parties to meet the environmental challenges of the 21st century within the framework of their treaty responsibilities.” (See Annex A for the full t. [...] Finally, as citizens in both Canada and the United States seek opportunities to petition and participate in the decision-making processes of government, the Commission finds that it must establish new mech- anisms to solicit the advice and strengthen the participation of the public at the community and local levels.