Unceded Algonquin Territory – Ottawa, ON (October 28, 2024)

More than 100 environmental organizations from coast to coast are calling on the federal government to back its promises with action. In a letter to the Minister of Finance, the groups are urging Ottawa to prioritize funding for Canada’s 2030 Nature Strategy to protect ecosystems and halt the loss of biodiversity.

This letter builds on the momentum that led to the creation of Canada’s 2030 Nature Strategy, emphasizing that ambitious promises require bold investments. It applauds steps like the recent tabling of the Nature Accountability Act (Bill C-73) and funding for protected areas in the 2024 Budget but stresses that these efforts must be scaled up to meet national and global commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

With COP16 underway in Cali, Colombia (October 21–November 1), world leaders are focusing on solutions to the biodiversity crisis. Canada has a critical chance to step up, showing leadership on the global stage. The letter’s signatories are calling for the government to announce essential funding through the upcoming Fall Economic Statement—ensuring that Canada’s 2030 Nature Strategy doesn’t remain a promise but becomes a reality.

“Canada has made important commitments to protect and restore nature, but without additional and immediate funding, the progress will stall,” said Emily McMillan, Executive Director of Nature Canada. “The time to act is now. COP16 provides a global stage where Canada can reaffirm its leadership by funding the initiatives necessary to make the plan a reality.”

Urgent Actions Needed to Combat Biodiversity Loss

The letter highlights five priority areas for investment to tackle the key drivers of biodiversity loss—climate change, pollution, habitat loss, overexploitation, and invasive species—and urges immediate funding for critical programs across several government departments, including:

• Environment and Climate Change Canada: A $500 million renewal of the Enhanced Nature Legacy to support Indigenous-led conservation and protect 25% of Canada’s lands and oceans by 2025.
• Fisheries and Oceans Canada: $200 million to renew funding for Canada’s Marine Conservation Targets (MCT), advancing progress toward protecting 30% of marine areas.
• Natural Resources Canada: $9 million to establish a national seed supply chain to support land restoration and the protection of native ecosystems.
• Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada: $25 million to provide financial incentives for farmers to preserve critical ecosystems, such as grasslands and wetlands.

Canada’s Role on the Global Stage

Canada played a leading role at COP15 in Montreal, where the world agreed on the Global Biodiversity Framework. As COP16 unfolds, the signatories urge the government to build on that leadership by making concrete funding commitments that will secure a sustainable future for Canada’s ecosystems and species.

“This government could be the most nature-positive one in recent history,” said Hannah Dean, Organizing Director at Nature Canada, who coordinated the sign-on effort. “We’re trying to demonstrate that the nature movement is behind this—the solutions are there in the government Strategy. It’s now a question of whether the political will exists to fully fund them. “

The letter, supported by more than 100 nature organizations, has been sent to Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, with copies shared with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault.

Read the letter.

For more information contact:

Scott Mullenix, Director of Communications
[email protected] | Call / Text: 613-366-4776