Our Government has taken real action on the conservation and protection of our natural heritage since coming to office in 2006. This action has included the withdrawal of millions of hectares of land in Canada’s North, the introduction of the Natural Areas Conservation Program, the creation of a National Marine Conservation Area, and by implementing various other measures.

On November 21st, Minister of the Environment, the Honourable John Baird, and Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians, Chuck Strahl, announced the withdrawal of millions of hectares of land in the Northwest Territories from Industrial Development, in co-operation with local First Nations groups. This land includes the East Arm of Great Slave Lake and the Ramparts River and Wetlands. In addition to the conservation of these important lands, the interim land withdrawal with the Akaitcho people demonstrates that our Government is also acting on its commitment to resolving Aboriginal land claims and achieving greater certainty in the North.

In the last year alone, our Government has made several other commitments to conserving and protecting our natural heritage all across Canada including: a massive expansion of the Nahanni National Park Reserve; the creation of the Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area; $30 million to protect the Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia; $3 million to the restoration of Stanley Park in Vancouver and Point Pleasant in Halifax; $225 million for the Nature Conservancy of Canada to preserve and conserve up to half a million acres of land across the country (including the recent announcement of the future conservation of globally significant habitat on the renowned Pelee Island in southwestern Ontario); and $5 million to protect the Sahouue-ehdacho National Historic Site on the shores of Great Bear Lake.

The Natural Areas Conservation Program, announced by Prime Minister Stephen Harper earlier this year, is an important on-the-ground initiative that takes real action to preserve Canada's environment and conserve its precious natural heritage for present and future generations. The Program is expected to result in the long-term protection of up to half a million acres of ecologically-sensitive land across southern Canada and is yet another example of how our Government is preserving our environment for future generations to enjoy.

For many years, previous governments talked about protection and conservation of Canada’s spectacular natural heritage, but took little action. In just less than two years, our Government has made both protection and conservation the cornerstone of its environmental policies and programs and as a result, has delivered real action for Canadians.