Robert Slater was awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, at the 9:30 a.m. ceremony on Wednesday, June 12, “in recognition of his distinguished career in the Public Service of Canada, spearheading initiatives for the protection of the air and water and inspiring a new generation of Canadians to environmental leadership.”
Dr. Slater is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Public Policy and Administration at Carleton University, where he is also Executive Director of the Regulatory Governance Initiative.
During a 32-year career with Environment Canada, he occupied a number of senior positions, including eight years as Senior Assistant Deputy Minister.
He was instrumental in establishing the National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy, the International Institute for Sustainable Development and the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health.
He played a lead role in renegotiating the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, Acid Rain agreements with provincial governments, the Canada-U.S. Accord on Air Quality, and the Green Plan. Dr. Slater also led preparations for Canada’s role at the UN Conference on the Environment (“Earth Summit”) in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.
He was responsible for legislative initiatives leading to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act and the Species at Risk Act, and led the development of regulations limiting lead in gasoline and bringing auto emissions standards in line with those in the United States.
He chaired the International Joint Commission’s Great Lakes Water Quality Board from 1976 to 1982. After he left the public service, he founded a consulting company in sustainable development which operated internationally and was a member of the National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy for six years. Before joining the public service, he was co-founder of Pollutech, an environmental consulting company.
He was awarded degrees from Imperial College of Science and Technology and was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 2009.