Good morning. Thank you, again, for extending the invitation.
My presentation to you this morning focuses on answering your study question of, “How can the federal government improve habitat conservation efforts in Canada?” I will answer the question by referring you, firstly, to certain recommendations from the recent National Fish and Wildlife Conservation Congress, and secondly, by presenting a business case example from Ontario, namely, the community fisheries and wildlife involvement program, CFWIP.
It was approximately this time last year, if memory serves me correctly, that I appeared before your committee during your study review of the Species At Risk Act. At that time I extended the invitation, if it were possible, for members to join us at the national fish and wildlife congress, which took place in Ottawa this time last year. I'm pleased to be able to share some of the final recommendations that are now available from that very first inaugural Canadian National Fish and Wildlife Conservation Congress last May that was co-hosted by the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters in association with the Government of Canada, the Government of Ontario, and a number of conservation organizations like Ducks Unlimited and Wildlife Habitat Canada.
The goals of that congress included inspiring increased efforts for the conservation of fish and wildlife and their habitats into this new century. Among the highlights of the recommendations I would like to present to you is the recommendation that the federal Government of Canada declare fish and wildlife habitat conservation a national priority, that we collectively build a wildlife constituency by educating youth, enhancing nature education and outdoor guidance, and reaching out to all citizens to recognize the value of natural capital, to make stewardship a core value and improve the public's connection to nature and wildlife.
The recommendations also include expanding support for fish and wildlife conservation through public education and initiatives that foster participation and activities such as fishing, hunting, and other outdoor-related activities. Among the final recommendations is that the federal, provincial, and territorial governments, in collaboration, for example, with cities and municipalities, should develop a national fish and wildlife strategy that includes fish and wildlife and habitat conservation priorities. Thus, we're encouraged by the government's announcement last year of the intention to formulate a national conservation plan, and we envision habitat conservation to be a priority within that new national conservation plan.
We also collectively believe that fishing and hunting deserve a prominent place at the table when we discuss elements of a national conservation plan, and that will, of course, include our relationships with responsible resource development and management, because of course, fishing and hunting activities are a vital part of Canada's economy and have a huge financial impact right across our national economy.
With that, I would like to offer a concrete business case, if you like, in terms of how the federal government may participate in improving habitat conservation in Canada.
I want to present an example from my home province of Ontario where for approximately 25 years a very successful community-based fish and wildlife habitat conservation program has been in place. I've referred to it as the community fisheries and wildlife improvement program. That program saw a very modest investment from the Ontario government of $1 million a year. Recently, that program has been reconfigured, and I'll refer to that a little later.
But what I want to emphasize is that with that modest investment leveraging each year, an amount of over $20 million in total value resulted from this community fisheries and wildlife improvement program. The specifics include the fact that over 35,000 community-based volunteers contributed over 200,000 person-years in support of 600 projects across the province, including: habitat restoration, fish culture and stocking, tree planting, and stream bank fencing and stabilization. All of which, of course, are under the mandate of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.
The point is that for that modest investment, huge returns were occurring. More recently, the Government of Ontario has decreased its contribution to that program and renamed it, but the point is that the track record has shown that these partnerships and modest investments, by all levels of government, can result in huge returns on investment.
With that, I hope I have provided at least some examples to illustrate how the Government of Canada can improve habitat conservation efforts in Canada.
Thank you for your attention.