CPAWS welcomes Peter Kent back as Canada’s Environment Minister

Ottawa -- The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) welcomes the Honourable Peter Kent back as Canada’s Minister of the Environment and Minister Responsible for the Parks Canada Agency.  CPAWS looks forward to working with Minister Kent to realize the government’s commitment to conserve Canada’s magnificent natural heritage.

“We welcome the opportunity to work with Minister Kent to build on the significant recent progress in creating new national parks, and to fulfill his party’s election pledge to protect more of Canada’s lands and waters in national parks, national marine conservation areas and other protected areas,” says CPAWS National Executive Director Eric Hebert-Daly.
During the recent election campaign the Conservative government also committed to work with provincial, territorial and municipal governments, Aboriginal peoples, communities and other interested parties to develop a National Conservation Plan that would help protect more of Canada’s lands and waters and connect these protected areas together by making the intervening lands and waters more permeable to wildlife.

“We’re looking forward to working with Minister Kent to develop this National Conservation Plan,” adds Hebert-Daly. “This is a great opportunity for the federal government to show leadership by bringing Canadians together to develop an ambitious and large-scale conservation strategy for Canada.”

Less than 10 per cent of Canada’s land and one per cent of our oceans are protected from industrial development.  With over 600 species at risk of extinction, largely because their habitat is being destroyed; and with climate change further stressing fragile ecosystems, the need for large-scale conservation action has never been more urgent. CPAWS’ vision is that Canada will protect at least half of our public lands and waters, and apply world-leading sustainable management practices on the rest of the land and seascape. Since 1963 CPAWS has led in campaigns to create over two-thirds of Canada’s parks and protected areas. That amounts to about half a million square kilometres – an area bigger than the entire Yukon Territory.

As a national charity with 13 chapters, over 50 staff, 40,000 supporters and hundreds of volunteers, CPAWS works collaboratively with governments, local communities, industry and indigenous peoples to protect our country’s amazing natural heritage. CPAWS is also on guard to ensure that our parks are managed to protect the nature within them.

For interviews, contact: Holly Postlethwaite (613) 569-7226 x 232, holly@cpaws.org