Nature Canada

Nature Canada welcomes throne speech commitments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Ottawa, Sept. 23, 2020)—Graham Saul, Executive Director of Nature Canada, welcomed the government’s renewed commitments to nature in the throne speech.

“Nature has helped keep so many Canadians healthy during the pandemic and it’s our turn to help keep nature healthy,” Saul said. “We look forward to the government fulfilling this responsibility with significant investments at budget time.”

The government underlined the importance of nature in the throne speech, making a new pledge to work with municipalities to expand urban parks so that everyone has access to green space. It renewed commitments to protect a quarter of Canada’s land and a quarter of Canada’s oceans in five years, and to use nature-based solutions to fight climate change, including by planting two billion trees.

Nature Canada has championed a central role for nature as Canadians look to the federal government to help them cope with the continuing economic, social, and environmental impact of COVID-19 and prepare a path to recovery.

“We must protect and restore the health of key ecosystems– forests, lakes, oceans, grasslands– if we are to address the loss of species, fight climate change and advance reconciliation with Indigenous peoples,” Saul said.

It has been only 10 months since the last throne speech when the government committed to a major expansion of protected land, freshwater and marine areas, and a focus on nature-based solutions to fight climate change.  Four months later, the pandemic hit.

 “The pandemic has underscored profound connections between nature, humans and wildlife,” Saul said. “We are pleased these vital commitments to nature remain intact and the government plans to move forward.”

Graham Saul is Executive Director of Nature Canada. He has worked on social and environmental justice issues for more than 25 years in Canada and abroad and is the former head of Climate Action Network Canada and Ecology Ottawa.

Nature Canada has been a voice for nature for more than 80 years. We are a charitable organization advocating the conservation of land and the protection of waterways, and oceans to help stop the loss of species. We facilitate mobilization among more than 900 nature organizations and 100,000 nature-lovers while helping Canadians connect to nature. Learn more at naturecanada.ca.

To book interviews please contact:

Lara Falkiner
lfalkiner@naturecanada.ca
Mobile: 250-240-2804

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