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About Us
With the St. Lawrence Action Plan (SLAP), the governments of Canada and Quebec have been working together since 1988 to conserve, restore, protect and enhance the St. Lawrence. Their joint efforts have, among other things, helped to:
- reduce pollution;
- conserve, rehabilitate and develop animal and plant habitats;
- develop knowledge and equip decision-makers for better decision-making;
- encourage sustainable navigation practices;
- promote community outreach and involvement.
The Canada-Quebec Agreement on the St. Lawrence
This agreement is renewed every five years. The governments of Canada and Quebec committed to renew their partnership until 2026. The continued collaboration between the governments of Quebec and Canada and the nineteen departments and agencies involved will allow for concerted action for the health and the protection of the St. Lawrence.
The joint evaluation of the St. Lawrence Action Plan
This evaluation based on the governance, accountability and external communications' challenges was completed in 2024. The evaluation period ran from 2016-2017 to 2021-2022. The report provides recommendations on the opportunities to improve internal processes and the effectiveness of external communications.
The St. Lawrence Action Plan 2011-2026 is...
Issues extending over 15 year
Continuation of joint actions targeting:
Decision-making support tools:
Management of the St. Lawrence through participatory governance
Maintenance of community funding programs
The St. Lawrence
Originating in Lake Ontario and flowing to the Atlantic Ocean, the St. Lawrence River extends some 1,600 kilometres across the province of Quebec from west to east via the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. Approximately 80% of Quebec's population lives along the river’s shores, which collects water from 244 tributaries.
Stakeholders
The St. Lawrence Action Plan relies on the involvement of different stakeholders from Canadian and Quebec government departments and agencies. The main categories of stakeholders involved in overseeing the integrated management of the St. Lawrence River include:
- Government of Canada
- Government of Quebec
- Municipal areas
- First Nations
- Education and research
- Non-profit organizations
- Collaborative bodies and structures
- Private sector
How We Function
The St. Lawrence Action Plan 2011-2026 is based on the pooling of the efforts and resources of multiple departments, ministries, and agencies of the governments of Canada and Quebec. The objective of this joint initiative is to implement value-added projects to achieve collective results.
The application principles behind this approach are:
Intergovernmental cooperation
The governments pool their expertise, skills and resources to generate a synergy favorable to the conservation of the St. Lawrence ecosystem.
Public policy coordination and complementarity
To ensure effective, integrated management of the St. Lawrence ecosystem, the governments coordinate the application of public policies in accordance with their respective jurisdictions and in a complementary manner.
Knowledge development and dissemination
Measures aimed at promoting research, education and information access must be maintained and improved to more effectively disseminate knowledge about the St. Lawrence.
Sound management of public funds
The governments make the best use of their resources to ensure that activities are complementary in order to achieve concrete results for the St. Lawrence.
Operating Structure
Agreement Steering Committee
Manages, implements and reports on the Agreement on behalf of the governments.
Agreement Executive Committee
Implements the decisions of the Agreement Steering Committee and oversees day-to-day business connected with the Agreement through ECCC and MELCC representatives.
Agreement Secretariat
- Monitors the progress of activities and provides logistical support to the issue committees and working groups.
- Supports and liaises with the issue committees and working groups.
- Supports the Agreement Steering Committee and Agreement Executive Committee in implementing the Agreement.
- Coordinates the dissemination of information to the public.
Advisory and Coordination Committees
There are an advisory committee (climate change) and two coordination committees (agriculture and navigation).These committees are not part of the management structure of the Agreement.
