Canada Must Invest Wisely for the Future Canadians Want: Clean, Prosperous and Equitable 

OTTAWA, July 29, 2020 – The Task Force for a Resilient Recovery released a report offering a vision for $50 billion of investment over five years (updated September 16, 2020) and 22 recommendations to ensure a resilient recovery for Canada from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) was pleased to see “investment in the nature that protects and sustains us” as one of the “five bold moves” that frame the recommendations, along with investment in buildings, zero-emission vehicles, clean energy, and clean competitiveness. 

CPAWS is supportive of the objectives put forward for the four nature-focused recommendations by the Task Force which aim to: restore and conserve natural infrastructure such as such as wetlands, coastal marshes and riparian forests; accelerate global leadership in conservation and support for Indigenous reconciliation; support stewardship and conservation by landowners, farmers, communities and resource managers; and grow and train the workforce for ecosystem restoration, monitoring and management, and nature-tourism.

“The objectives of these bold and urgent recommendations for prioritizing nature protection in recovery strategies are complementary to those offered in our new CPAWS parks report released earlier this month,” said Sandra Schwartz, CPAWS National Executive Director. “Across the country, groups are recognizing the global reset as an opportunity for significant change, and are coming together to push for a better future for all.” 

The Task Force for a Resilient Recovery is an independent group of 15 finance, policy and sustainability leaders working to ensure that the billions of dollars invested in Canada’s recovery will create jobs for Canadians, address inequality and have a positive impact on the environment. 

Key Facts about the Role for Nature in a Resilient Recovery

1. On June 28, 2020, the Green Budget Coalition, which includes CPAWS and 23 other leading Canadian environmental organizations, released Preliminary Recommendations for Recovery and Budget Actions in 2020-2021, urging the federal government to take action at this defining moment in history to achieve transformational change. The report includes recommendations similar to those flagged by the Task Force, including nature-based climate solutions (p. 30), conservation and protected areas (pp. 32-36), natural infrastructure solutions for climate resilience (p. 44) and a federal habitat restoration fund (p. 38).  
2. On July 10, 2020, over 230 organizations including CPAWS submitted a joint letter to the Prime Minister urging the prioritizing of nature conservation in Canada’s COVID-19 recovery efforts. Read an opinion piece about the letter contributed by Sandra Schwartz, CPAWS’ National Executive Director, and Jay Ritchlin, the David Suzuki Foundation’s Director General for Western Canada.
3. On July 15, 2020, CPAWS released the report, Healthy Nature Healthy People: A Call to Put Nature Protection at the Heart of Canada’s COVID-19 Recovery Strategies. The report highlights how protected areas are instrumental for maintaining the well-being of Canadians and supporting a resilient, diversified economy. The report provides recommendations for how federal, provincial and territorial governments can provide health and economic benefits to Canadians by investing in protected areas.
4. On July 7, 2020, a poll conducted by Pollara Strategic Insights for the International Boreal Conservation Campaign and the Indigenous Leadership Initiative was released showing broad support for nature conservation in economic recovery. More than 70% of Canadians think it is important to include nature conservation in economic revitalization planning, 72% believe the government should invest in Indigenous stewardship as part of the economic recovery, and only 16% of Canadians want to go back to the pre-COVID economy. Seven-in-ten want to rebuild while introducing change – either through the addition of some new approaches (39%) or a fundamental transformation (33%). 
5. On July 14 the World Economic Forum released the second of three reports in its New Nature Economy Report Series which makes the business and economic case for safeguarding nature and pathways for a nature-positive economy, saying, “There is no future for business as usual – we are reaching irreversible tipping points for nature and climate, and over half of the global GDP, $44 trillion, is potentially threatened by nature loss.”

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For more information or requests for interviews, please contact:

Tracy Walden
National Director, Communications, CPAWS
twalden@localhost | Cell: 613-915-4857 

About Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society

The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) is Canada’s only nationwide charity dedicated solely to the protection of our public land, ocean, and freshwater, and ensuring our parks and protected areas are managed to protect nature. In the past 57 years, we have played a leading role in protecting over half a million square kilometres – an area bigger than the entire Yukon Territory. Our vision is to protect at least half of Canada’s public land and water – for the benefit of both wildlife and people. For more information about CPAWS and the work we do to safeguard Canada’s natural heritage, visit cpaws.org. Join our community on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. Donate today.