Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
17 October 2014
On October 17, 2014, Prime Minister Stephen Harper participated in a moderated question and answer (Q&A) session in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, where he discussed the Government's ongoing support for Canadian families living in rural areas and the hunting and angling communities in Northern Ontario and across the country.
The Prime Minister highlighted the different measures that the Government is taking under the National Conservation Plan to support hunters and anglers across the country. He announced that the fourth round for applications under the Recreational Fisheries Conservation Partnerships Program (RFCPP) is now open and underscored the investments the Government has made under this program since its inception. He also announced that Environment Canada is now accepting applications for projects under the second round of the National Wetland Conservation Fund (NWCF).
About the National Conservation Plan
The National Conservation Plan (NCP), which was a commitment made in the 2013 Speech from the Throne, is one of the many initiatives the Government has undertaken to protect Canada's natural heritage for the benefit of future generations. It provides a more coordinated approach to conservation efforts across the country with an emphasis on enabling Canadians to conserve and restore lands and waters in and around their communities, and making it easier for citizens living in cities to connect with nature. It also complements significant efforts, including creating new parks, protecting ecologically sensitive lands, protecting species at risk and their habitat, and improving water quality.
The NCP includes funding of $252 million, primarily over a five-year period (2014 to 2019) to secure ecologically sensitive lands, support voluntary conservation and restoration actions, and strengthen marine and coastal conservation. It also includes new initiatives designed to restore wetlands and to encourage Canadians to connect with nature close to home through protected areas and green spaces located in or near urban areas.
The NCP expands opportunities for partners, including municipalities, environmental interest groups, hunters and anglers, landowners and community groups, to take practical actions to safeguard the land and water around them in the three following priority areas:
- Conserving Canada's lands and waters: safeguarding and enhancing biodiversity and ecosystems through conservation and stewardship actions, including on working landscapes and seascapes.
- Restoring Canada's ecosystems: supporting the restoration of degraded ecosystems, which, once restored, provide habitat for wildlife and clean water, and are essential for the protection and recovery of species at risk.
- Connecting Canadians to nature: leveraging existing successful initiatives to help foster an appreciation for nature, and building a "community of stewards" among Canadians of all ages.
The Plan recognizes the efforts of countless Canadians who are working to conserve and protect our natural world. It will encourage on-the-ground action and partnerships leading to tangible conservation results. Views from stakeholders across all regions and sectors helped to shape the National Conservation Plan, including input from three conservation-related studies by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development.
Progress under the NCP will be measured against a set of outcomes related to land and ocean conservation, restoration of lands and shorelines, opportunities for Canadians to experience nature, and access to improved information about Canada's natural environment.
Building on the conservation measures announced in Budget 2014, the National Conservation Plan includes funding of $252 million, primarily over a five-year period (2014 to 2019) for a variety of conservation initiatives:
- $100 million over five years to the Nature Conservancy of Canada to secure ecologically sensitive lands;
- $37 million over five years to strengthen marine and coastal conservation;
- $3.2 million over five years to support the development of a complete national inventory of conserved areas in Canada;
- $50 million over five years to restore wetlands;
- $50 million over five years to support voluntary actions to restore and conserve species and their habitats;
- $9.2 million over five years to connect urban Canadians to nature; and,
- $3 million over three years to Earth Rangers to expand family-oriented conservation programming.
About the National Wetland Conservation Fund
The National Wetland Conservation Fund (NWCF), which is part of the National Conservation Plan, supports projects that restore degraded or lost wetlands, enhance degraded wetlands, scientifically assess and monitor the health and functionality of wetlands and the species that use them, and encourage stewardship and wetland appreciation by a wide variety of partners to build support for future wetland conservation and restoration activities. The NWCF focuses on working landscapes.
Non-governmental organizations, Aboriginal organizations and communities, individuals, universities, conservation authorities, private corporations, as well as provincial, territorial and municipal governments and provincial Crown corporations can apply for funding. Eligible projects must take place on private land, provincial Crown land, or Aboriginal land across Canada.
Funding is variable and depends on the project. Typical funding ranges from $50,000 to $250,000, with a maximum amount available of $500,000 per year per project.
Environment Canada is now accepting applications for projects under the second round of the National Wetland Conservation Fund, specifically for projects that start after April 1, 2015. The application deadline is November 21, 2014. In future years, the deadline to submit applications will be posted when the call for proposals is open, but will normally be in November/December.
About the Recreational Fisheries Conservation Partnerships Program
The RFCPP was developed to support projects led by recreational fishing and angling groups, as well as conservation organizations, aimed at improving the conservation of recreational fisheries habitat. The program supports the sustainability and ongoing productivity of Canada's recreational fisheries by bringing like-minded partners together and pooling their resources to support the common goal of conserving and protecting Canada's recreational fisheries. The partnership approach makes the most of joint resources, allowing results that would not otherwise be possible.
The RFCPP has a $25 million budget. Funds are allocated through a competitive process. Since its inception, the investments made under this Program total almost $11 million for more than 200 projects across Canada under its two first rounds. Economic Action Plan 2014 announced an additional $15 million investment. Projects submitted under Round III are in the final stages of approval and applicants will be advised shortly.
Activities that directly restore recreational fisheries habitat are eligible for RFCPP funding.
The program's Application Guidelines provide detailed information on program eligibility, requirements and how to complete the Application Form. Both documents are found on the RFCPP Website.
About current initiatives
Since 2006, the Government of Canada has taken important steps to conserve and restore our country's natural environment and connect Canadians to our rich natural heritage:
- We have secured almost 4,000 km² of ecologically sensitive private lands.
- We have added an area nearly twice the size of Vancouver Island to the network of federal protected areas, including:
- a six-fold expansion of the Nahanni National Park Reserve in the Northwest Territories, considered to be a significant conservation achievement;
- the world's first protected area extending from the mountain tops to the sea floor (Gwaii Haanas National Marine Conservation Area Reserve and Haida Heritage Site); and,
- one of the world's largest freshwater protected areas (Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area); three National Wildlife Areas (Akpait, Ninginganiq and Qaqulluit) in Nunavut, protecting 4,554 km2 of marine, coastal and terrestrial habitats including the world's sanctuary for bowhead whales; and three new Marine Protected Areas under the Oceans Act: Musquash Estuary in New Brunswick, Bowie Seamount off the coast of British Columbia, and Tarium Niryutait in the Beaufort Sea.
- We have invested nearly $11 million under the Recreational Fisheries Conservation Partnerships Program to support over 200 fisheries habitat restoration projects across Canada.
- We have advanced work to create the first national urban park.
- We have taken steps to improve water quality in the Great Lakes, Lake Simcoe, and Lake Winnipeg, rehabilitated recreational fisheries habitat, and are working to clean up contaminated sites.
- We have supported partners in the delivery of hundreds of local projects to protect species at risk and their habitats, for example:
- Under the Habitat Stewardship Program, we have invested over $96 million to support 1,557 local conservation projects, benefitting the habitat of 431 species at risk.
- EcoAction provided more than $39.2 million to support 1,016 local biodiversity conservation and restoration projects in communities across Canada.
- We have successfully expanded the population of Blanding's turtles in Kejimkujik National Park and are assisting in the recovery of Garry oak ecosystems in Gulf Islands National Park Reserve and Fort Rodd Hill National Historic Site.
Under the Aboriginal Fund for Species at Risk program, we have invested over $25 million to support more than 710 local aquatic and terrestrial conservation projects, benefitting the recovery needs of 286 species at risk.
