On behalf of Ducks Unlimited Canada, thank you to the standing committee for the opportunity to provide input into these important consultations.
As a private, non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of Canada's wetlands and uplands for the benefit of waterfowl, wildlife, and people, we appreciate being able to share some of our experiences in conserving Canada's natural capital.
Our written submission focuses on how natural capital conservation and restoration can help improve Canada's competitive advantage. As indicated, Ducks Unlimited Canada has a long history of working in this country and has committed our own resources to helping determine the true value of natural areas through pilot projects, research with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and commissioned works such as Dr. Olewiler's report on the value of natural capital in the settled areas of Canada.
In the interests of brevity, I am only going to discuss two of the ten recommendations we submitted.
First, the health of Canada's citizens depends in part on the health of our surroundings. DUC recommends that the federal government establish financial disincentives, potentially through tax reform, to discourage the further destruction or degradation of our natural capital. This country was built in part through the use of government incentives to encourage breaking, clearing, and developing land for cities, agriculture, and industry. But it's not 1905 any more, and our country has reached a maturity level that requires a new approach to maintaining that competitive advantage. We've lost or degraded the majority of our natural assets in the settled areas of this country, yet we still see government incentives to encourage further loss of areas such as wetlands. The time has come to recognize the true value of what remains and invest in it accordingly, such as enhancing the next generation of the agricultural policy framework and Greencover Canada.
Secondly, no one in our organization is naive enough to believe that development and expansion of our cities, industry, and infrastructure will stop, nor should it. However, we can grow our economy while increasing the value of the natural areas and their contribution to Canada's wealth. To start, federal taxation and spending programs related to infrastructure should require mitigation for the loss of natural capital on all projects that receive federal funding or are conducted on crown lands. It is only through the application of a mitigation sequence that includes avoidance, minimization, and compensation that Canada will be able to balance its growing economy with the conservation of the very assets that our country was built upon and that improve our quality of life.
Natural capital is important to Canadians. Society needs to invest in and encourage the conservation, restoration, and stewardship of that capital. There are numerous instruments that are available to do so, to facilitate this important investment in our future, several of which are expanded upon in our written submission and all of which deserve more attention from a sustained competitiveness point of view.
Thank you for your time, and I welcome any questions.