Unceded Algonquin Territory — Ottawa, ON (April 29, 2024) — Nature Canada’s annual Nature on the Hill event is connecting nature groups from across Canada with Members of Parliament and senior ministers to push for whole-of-government support for a National Biodiversity Strategy and a Nature Accountability Act that will give the country the tools and resources to meet the government’s ambitious biodiversity targets.

Dozens of meetings, both virtual and in-person, are lined up.  Meetings include MPs from all of the parties in parliament as well as high-level meetings with the following Ministers’ offices:

• Environment and Climate Change Canada
• Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard
• Parks Canada
• The Privy Council Office
• The Prime Minister’s Office

“Everyone participating in this year’s Nature on the Hill is answering our call at a critical moment,” says Emily McMillan, Executive Director at Nature Canada. “Nature is not a partisan issue – but halting and reversing nature loss is a Canadian priority and we’re here to demonstrate that the political will is here to get it done.”

Nature on the Hill is an annual event where Nature Canada convenes its Nature Network partners in Ottawa to meet with MPs, Senators and Ministers to share their love and concern for nature and ensure that parliamentarians and federal officials deliver on Canada’s bold promises to protect and restore nature.

In addition to this week’s meetings, Nature Canada has mobilized thousands of Canadians to urge the federal government to follow through on its Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). Supporters across the country are calling on their own MPs to deliver:

• A strong National Biodiversity Strategy that is enforceable, equitable, and fully-funded.
• A Nature Accountability Act to ensure that the Strategy goals are met.

The participating MPs include members from all parties and all regions of Canada. The meetings will take place on April 30 and May 1, 2024.  The nature groups taking part represent a wide range of interests, from watershed alliances to birders to friends of local parks.

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For more information, contact:
Scott Mullenix
media@naturecanada.ca