Nature Canada is a founding member of the Green Budget Coalition, which includes twenty-two Canadian environmental organizations who urge the Government of Canada to invest in nature and the environment.

Canada and the world are facing both a climate crisis and a nature emergency.

A landmark UN report in May concluded that one million species worldwide are at risk of extinction. A recent study published in Science estimates one in four birds in North America has disappeared over the past four decades, which amounts to 3 billion missing birds.

The Green Budget Coalition focuses on the federal budget because it’s consistently the most important federal document of the year for the environment, funding important programs and making key tax policy changes.

This year the coalition is asking the federal government to step up to this defining moment in history with the necessary investments in Budget 2020 to enable effective action.

You can read all the Green Budget Coalition Recommendations for Budget 2020 online, which include key steps to combat both climate change and species extinction.

When it comes to defending nature, a few things we’re asking for include:

• The necessary funding to achieve protection of 30% of land and freshwater by 2030.
• More money to make sure the Species at Risk Act requirements are being carried out in a way that protects at-risk plants and wildlife.
• In order to help conserve Canada’s migratory birds, we’re asking for funding over the next four years to protect international habitat and funding for science, conservation and the Species at Risk Act.
• Investment in environmental farming programs, research and development, and a new facility for the National Insect Collection.
• Enough resources to meet and enforce current laws around toxics and pesticides to protect the health of Canadians and our environment.

Implementing these Green Budget Coalition recommendations would lead to dramatic progress in advancing a healthier future for Canadians from coast to coast to coast.

Will the Canadian government listen? We’ll have to wait until the 2020 federal budget is released in the spring. Follow Nature Canada to stay informed.