OTTAWA – On this 22nd annual UN International Day for Biological Diversity, the Green Party of Canada urges the Harper Conservatives to provide stronger federal leadership and international cooperation to address the global crisis of species loss and habitat destruction.
Describing their recently announced National Conservation Plan as "a small positive step after years of slashing", Green Leader Elizabeth May urged the Harper Conservatives to do more to protect Canada’s ecological heritage.
"The fact remains that we are still witnessing a steady assault on biodiversity, with privatization of facilities within national parks, cuts to Parks Canada funding, and the gutting of our environmental assessment and Species at Risk legislation.” said the Member of Parliament for Saanich-Gulf Islands. "The single greatest threat to global biodiversity is the climate crisis. This administration's priorities are for greater emissions in a bitumen economy."
"The federal government's objectives - to conserve, restore and connect - are laudable, but come on top of years spent undermining habitat protection,” said Green Party Environment Critic and University of Winnipeg Ecologist Dr. Andrew Park. “Any biologist will tell you that you cannot conserve species without conserving habitat, and yet habitat protection has been deleted form key legislation such as the Fisheries Act."
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Contact:
Nicholas Gall
Communications Coordinator
Green Party of Canada
(613) 614 4916
nicholas.gall@greenparty.ca