The new report Protecting nature – protecting life exposes how the federal government is failing to protect nature and proposes a new Nature and Biodiversity Act to solve systemic problems.
Just last week it was announced that countries from all around the world will be gathering this December in Montreal to negotiate a new global framework for nature protection under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). This will be a big moment for Canada and the federal government to be part of halting a global loss of wildlife. The event will also bring greater attention to the ailing state of Canada’s own system of laws for protecting nature.
Therefore, in the lead-up to this crucial event, we are calling for a new federal legislation to protect nature and biodiversity. Canada needs laws that ensure effective protection of the natural world commensurate with the crisis we face. Globally, around 1 million species are at risk of extinction. In Canada, 1,231 species are currently listed under the Species at Risk Act (SARA), while the government’s previous biodiversity commitments under the CBD have been largely unmet.
In collaboration with legal experts at Ecojustice and Ecovision, the report proposes a legislative framework to ensure government accountability and to make nature protection commitments a reality. Effective legislation would also include clear biodiversity targets and transparent, consistent public reporting. Most importantly, any nature-related legislation must recognize the Indigeneity of the lands we are on and the need to restore justice and equity to the natural world.
The federal government has not lived up to its past biodiversity and nature protection promises. However, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault now has an unprecedented opportunity to fix this. With the biggest nature event in a decade coming to Montreal, the world will be watching.
The environment minister must pass legislation that respects Indigenous rights and safeguards biodiversity.