Canada promised new parks and nature preserves. Has this changed since Carney came to power?
In 2022, Canada hosted an important UN nature summit in Montreal, where the Liberal government led the diplomatic effort for a global agreement on protecting ecosystems.
countries agreed To conserve 30 percent of the world’s land and oceans. Canada has pledged to reach that goal by 2030 with plans to more than double the current amount of protected places.
Three years later, the scenario is very different. Steven Guilbeault, the former environment minister who helped get that deal off the ground in Montreal, has left Cabinet on new steps to expand oil and gas resource development. Prime Minister Mark Carney’s first budget barely mentions nature and his government focuses on major resource projects.
Now, environmental groups and others are concerned that the Carney government’s apparent overtures will reverse years of progress on nature conservation.
Among the initiatives now facing uncertainty: new national parks and protected areas, as well as federal support for “profitable deal“Indigenous Parent Program, which provides training and employs people from indigenous communities to conduct conservation and research work in their traditional lands.
“I think it’s a very real concern that biodiversity is not being brought forward as a priority in decision-making related to new infrastructure,” said James Snyder, WWF-Canada’s vice-president of science, knowledge and innovation.
“And we risk repeating the mistakes of the past instead of imagining a future where the environment and the economy go hand in hand.”
what’s at stake?
Canada is almost halfway to its 30 percent land and ocean conservation goal, meaning it needs to double the amount of protected space in the country in just five years.
Carney’s Liberals promised during the federal election campaign earlier this year that they would boost conservation efforts to reach the goals, including establishing 10 new national parks, 15 new urban parks and expanding the Indigenous Guardians Program, whose funding will expire in March.
In an unusual conversation in the House of Commons on the day of a crucial vote, Prime Minister Mark Carney took a question from Green Party leader Elizabeth May. He said Canada is committed to its climate goals set by the Paris Agreement.
But unlike those campaign promises, the federal budget does not explicitly commit to new funding. Speaking in the House of Commons a few weeks ago, Carney said the government would release a new nature strategy, but there were no details yet on what the strategy would include.
Environmental advocates are watching.
“As governments consider investing in economic development as a generational investment, there is also a need to recognize the economic benefits nature provides,” said Sandra Schwartz, national executive director of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society.
Several high-profile and vast protected areas are currently in the pipeline, including seal river watershed In the northwest of Manitoba, a new national park in the South Okanagan in BC, and Peel River watershed in Yukon which has completed its feasibility assessment. The projects involve years of survey and planning work, much of which has been carried out by local indigenous communities.
“It’s like a stranded asset. These projects need money and they can’t come through philanthropic dollars alone,” Schwartz said.
Schwartz said ongoing conservation projects could be left in limbo — the research, community consultation, surveys and other activities that must occur before parks and conservation areas can be established take years of work.
“Canada has an opportunity to be a leader in doing these things right and to provide leadership on a global scale,” said Valerie Courtois, executive director of the International Monetary Fund. Indigenous Leadership InitiativeA national group advocating indigenous-led conservation. She is a member of the Innu community of Mashteuiatsh, located on the shores of Peikuakami or Lac-Saint-Jean in eastern Quebec.
A 23-year-old resident of Poplar River First Nation recently became the community’s land steward. Owen Beare is now tasked with protecting the land known as Pimachiowin Aki, which translates to “the land that gives life” in Anishinaabemowin.
‘I am hopeful’
Courtois has long been an advocate of Indigenous guardianship programs, where she has seen the benefits of involving community members in conservation work. He said this has especially helped youth connect with the community and retain and learn the language while working on the ground.
“I’m a registered professional forester by trade. When I look at a forest management plan, we’ve been taught to ask how we can optimize and maximize the economic return on investment and value from forest land,” Courtois said.
“When you’re an Indigenous person, the question you’re asking (instead) is what do I need to do to maintain these landscapes and remain Innu?”
National mentor program It was first introduced by the federal government as a pilot project in 2017, and then expanded with $100 million in funding in 2021. Courtois said the funding will expire by March 31 next year, and there has been no word yet from the government about an extension.
Courtois said, “We know from the government that the initiative is viewed very positively by parents. They believe it is a good investment, but I know they are managing their own financial pressures.”
“We haven’t heard much about it, but I’m hopeful.”
When asked for a response, Environment and Climate Change Canada did not specifically mention support for Indigenous-led programs and conservation actions.
“The Government of Canada has laid the foundation for continued success toward achieving Canada’s conservation goals, and we will continue to partner with Indigenous peoples, provinces and territories, environmental non-governmental organizations, the private sector and philanthropic organizations to advance this goal,” the department said in a statement.
