Mr. Speaker, I rise today to give my support to the boreal forest conservation initiative.
The boreal forest is an integral component of our national identity, and it contains one-quarter of the world's remaining original forests. It is the home to aboriginal communities across Canada, communities that depend on the forest for food, medicine and economic livelihood.
The boreal forest filters our water, cleans our air, helps regulate the climate and sustains a large variety of life, including human beings.
Canada's boreal forest faces the real threat of significant changes that would ultimately harm this picturesque and healthy ecosystem and threaten the many benefits the boreal forest provides all Canadians on a daily basis.
The boreal forest initiative seeks to conserve the cultural, sustainable economic and natural values of the entire Canadian boreal region. I commend these efforts and call on all members to lend their support to this essential piece of our national landscape. Canada has an amazing opportunity to be a global leader in nature protection. Let us start by supporting conservation efforts right here in our own backyard.