Environment committee  I agree with Mr. Lounds' comment that there isn't an integrated approach at the federal level and there should be. The national parks systems plan specifically has served us well, but it's designed on a 1970s model. It is about representation only, and it predates the whole area

Environment committee  There are a couple in the pipe, so to speak. There's Thaidene Nëné, which is on its way to completion and will be done soon, hopefully. We're involved in that one. The South Okanagan, of course, is one that has been under way for many years and is such a critically important pri

Environment committee  I can start. Every year we do make budget recommendations as part of the Green Budget Coalition, which is a coalition of national environmental groups. Every year, for many years, we have been making recommendations, basically focused on what is needed to complete the existing s

Environment committee  Absolutely. We've also made recommendations on ecological integrity and science-based management funding.

Environment committee  Yes, I think it would. One of the challenges on the terrestrial protected areas front is that terrestrial protected areas are embedded in many different agencies across the country. There is not one federal-provincial-territorial body that is responsible for protected areas on th

Environment committee  On the land front, I think this idea of needing a council that really is responsible for this and drives it, led by the federal government, is critical. We are optimistic about the commitments that have been made. There are good commitments in the mandate letters, and there is a

Environment committee  We would love to be part of the solution.

Environment committee  Thanks for that question. We have highlighted that over the last number of years there has been an emerging and renewed trend of threats to our mountain national parks, specifically Banff and Jasper. This is something that is not new. This has happened in the past. The most rece

Environment committee  There needs to be a cap. Well, there is a cap on development, and it needs to be adhered to, basically.

Environment committee  The development pressures are most intense in Banff and Jasper, and they always have been. Again, in the 1990s there were limits put in place, including in the act, which now makes it clear that ecological integrity will be the first priority for management. There were caps on de

Environment committee  Well, it's going to be challenging, but if we are going to pass those along unimpaired, we need to figure out a way to do that, and it doesn't mean endless development. We need to keep that cap on, otherwise there won't be grizzly bears and wolves in those parks, and all the othe

Environment committee  There is an urgent need to refocus Parks Canada on its first priority by law of maintaining and restoring ecological integrity, and there are recommendations in that report. To conclude, there are significant challenges but also huge opportunities, particularly with the new comm

Environment committee  Thank you very much. Good morning. Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you about federal protected areas. I'm Alison Woodley, the national director of the CPAWS parks program. I'm here with Sabine, the national director of our oceans program. I'll spend a few minutes in

Environment committee  The greenbelt plan clearly references that the management of the area in which Rouge park is going to be established south of Steeles should be guided by the Rouge management plan and the area north of Steeles should be guided by the Rouge north management plan. That is embedded

Environment committee  We were looking at the overarching framework for the park and whether or not it met the test of, for example, the definition of a protected area under the international standard, and that requires that conservation be identified as the first priority or as prioritized. In reviewi