Environment Committee on June 18th, 2013

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Thank you.

I'm going to jump in. Environment Canada's measurement stations and analysis for ozone trends are gold standard in the northern high latitudes, which are highly vulnerable to stratospheric ozone depletion.

How many of our ozonesonde stations and Brewers are supported? How many scientists are supported for management and analysis related to Brewers and ozonesondes?

[Peter Kent, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

It is the same number that Dr. Dodds identified when she appeared before the committee last year.

Bob, do you have the page open with the numbers?

[Bob Hamilton, Deputy Minister, Department of the Environment]

I don't have the specific numbers with me, but we can get back on that.

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

There were 10 ozonesonde stations. How many of those are operating?

[Peter Kent, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

To my knowledge, they all continue to operate.

You're quite right, Canada has set the gold standard in ozone monitoring and we are determined to continue and to maintain that standard.

[The Chair, Conservative, Harold Albrecht]

Thank you very much, Ms. Duncan.

We'll move now to Madame Quach, for five minutes.

[Anne Minh-Thu Quach, NDP, Beauharnois—Salaberry, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Minister, for having come to appear before us for the second time in two weeks.

One of the principal mandates of Parks Canada is to preserve the ecological integrity of our parks. However, the ecological integrity indicator for eight of these parks is considered bad. As for ecosystems, the indicator is considered bad for six of these parks. It is dropping. Moreover, the number of species at risk in heritage areas has since 2004 gone from 141 to 222.

How do you explain these rather poor results?

[Peter Kent, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

I'll defer to Alan in just a moment for the science behind decisions that have been taken, but I would like to respond to a question you raised in the House last week regarding the

Réseau d'observation des mammifères marins—the marine mammal observation network.

[Anne Minh-Thu Quach, NDP, Beauharnois—Salaberry, QC]

Can you answer...

[Peter Kent, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

That group has been approved.

Alan.

[Alan Latourelle, Chief Executive Officer, Parks Canada]

Regarding the ecological integrity challenges, we currently have in effect the largest ecological restoration program in the history of Parks Canada. It will cost approximately $70 million over the next five years. The work is being done in close to 25 national parks, and our objective is to change those indicators in 20 national parks by 2015.

And so we are taking steps to attain those objectives. We have already seen very concrete results at the local level.

[Anne Minh-Thu Quach, NDP, Beauharnois—Salaberry, QC]

So, despite the results that are on the decline, you cannot explain why there has been an increase in the number of species at risk since 2004.

[Alan Latourelle]

The fact is that national parks don't operate in a vacuum. We operate in an ecosystem that is often bigger than the national park. We work with people from outside the park, consequently. For instance, one of the challenges at the Forillon National Park is the movement of animals in the corridor. We are working with Nature Conservation Canada specifically; they have purchased land in order to improve this circulation corridor for the animals.

So we are taking concrete actions like that one in order to change those indicators. I also want to point out to you that you identified eight national parks and that there are 44 of them. In several national parks, we are seeing considerable positive change.

[Anne Minh-Thu Quach, NDP, Beauharnois—Salaberry, QC]

You also talked about protected corridors, but Canada does not yet have any protected area networks. You say that two national parks and two additional protected marine areas will be created. Do you know where they will be created, and when? What percentage of the terrestrial and aquatic area of Canada would be protected if we want to respect the Aichi objectives? We are quite far from reaching the target of 10% of aquatic zones and 17% of protected terrestrial habitats by 2020.

[Peter Kent, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

As you know, Parks Canada has created four national marine protected areas to date. We're actively working on three additional areas.

[Anne Minh-Thu Quach, NDP, Beauharnois—Salaberry, QC]

Where?

[Peter Kent, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

One of them is in the area known as the Serengeti of the Arctic, a very rich area in Lancaster Sound in Nunavut. We are working with the Government of Quebec on a feasibility study for the Îles de la Madeleine, with regard to a marine protected area there, and I think that work is progressing. As you know, the southern Strait of Georgia is one that was announced. It's still in the study and development process, but it's a large one, and there are others that have been designated.

I certainly appreciate, Parks Canada appreciates, and the department and the government appreciate the ambition of the Aichi targets, but it's a matter of capacity. These parks can't be created overnight in a scientifically and environmentally acceptable, sustainable way. There's a lot of science and there are intergovernmental concerns. There's first nation consultation, and believe me, Parks Canada is working at speed to help move forward on those accomplishments.

[Anne Minh-Thu Quach, NDP, Beauharnois—Salaberry, QC]

I have one last question.

You talked about increasing the public's appreciation and comprehension, among other things by offering young people the possibility of interacting with members of the Parks Canada team. You also want to improve the visitor's experience, but the number of visitors in Parks Canada heritage places has decreased by 20% over the last 15 years.

[Peter Kent, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Yes.

[Anne Minh-Thu Quach, NDP, Beauharnois—Salaberry, QC]

You have abolished facilitator-guide positions, you have increased the entrance fees, you have shortened the visiting seasons and you expect that 700 employees are going to retire. You are planning to cut 600 positions, ranging from facilitator-guides to biologists to researchers and archeologists at Parks Canada.

Do you not think that these cuts will worsen the decline in the number of visitors in the next few years, and also the resources...

[The Chair, Conservative, Harold Albrecht]

Madam Quach, we'll have a very short response, please. We're out of time.

[Peter Kent, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

I thank you for your question. This is part of a larger conversation. But, to your point, you're quite correct. Visitation is down and there has been some reduction of on-site interpretative services at national historic sites, for example, in the off-seasons.

Essentially, what we're doing now, and what we're doing with the ingested deficit reduction realities, is ensuring there are Parks Canada personnel at these locations when the tourists are there, when there are visitors. It does involve a shift. At the same time, Parks Canada has a very aggressive program going to engage younger Canadians who have not had the experience that some of us of the older generation have had in visiting the national parks and historic sites and making them a part of our life. Life is very different today. We need to re-engage. We need to teach camping skills, for example, to get people into our parks.

[The Chair, Conservative, Harold Albrecht]

Thank you, Madam Quach.

We move now to Ms. Rempel for five minutes.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment]

Well, here we are. We've been doing this gig for two years now.

[Peter Kent, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Yes.