(Chapter 4-Federal Protected Areas for Wildlife)
(Chapter 5-Protection of Species at Risk)
(Chapter 6-Control of Aquatic Invasive Species)
(Chapter 7-Areas of Concern in the Great Lakes Basin)
Ottawa, 6 March 2008-The federal government has not made satisfactory progress in the protection of species and their habitat, says the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, Ron Thompson, in his Status Report tabled today in the House of Commons. The Report also notes that the government is still not keeping its commitment to prevent, control or eradicate invasive aquatic species. Nor has it made the expected progress in dealing with environmentally degraded areas in the Great Lakes Basin.
"According to the government, degradation and loss of habitat is the major threat to plants and animals in Canada," said Mr. Thompson. "The government committed to address these issues years ago, but it has yet to follow through on its commitments."
Chapter 4 of the Commissioner's Status Report says that while Environment Canada has identified significant gaps in its management of protected areas-including national wildlife areas and migratory bird sanctuaries-management plans are seriously out of date and its own analysis indicates that it has not allocated the resources necessary to address the most urgent problems.
Chapter 5 observes that the federal government has not met the deadlines required by the Species at Risk Act toprepare recovery strategies for species at risk. It still lacks complete and reliable information needed to develop action plans for the protection of species at risk on federal lands.
Chapter 6 notes that efforts by Fisheries and Oceans Canada to assess the risks of invasive aquatic species are being far outpaced by the discovery of such species in Canadian waters. In 2006, Transport Canada took a major step forward in regulating ship ballast water-the main entryway for aquatic invasive species-but the regulations are not yet being enforced consistently across Canada.
Chapter 7 reports that after 20 years, environmental quality has been restored to only two of Canada's 17 areas of concern around the Great Lakes. Contaminated sediments and overloaded sewage treatment facilities remain the major problems, and it is not clear who is responsible for cleanup action, who will pay, and when it will be completed.
"The government continues to say it is committed to resolving these problems, but it has failed to do so," said Mr. Thompson.
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The 2008 Status Report of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development is available on the Office of the Auditor General of Canada website.
For more information, please click here.
