Speech

From the Prime Minister's Web Site (http://www.pm.gc.ca/)

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PRIME MINISTER HARPER ANNOUNCES SUPPORT FOR NATIONAL LAND CONSERVATION CAMPAIGN

March 14, 2007
KING CITY

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Good morning ladies and gentlemen.

Greetings to my caucus colleagues and representatives of the Nature Conservancy of Canada and other conservation groups who are with us today.

And thank you, John, for your kind introduction, and for the leadership you're showing on environmental issues.

It's a great pleasure to be here in lovely King City.

Thank you, Mayor Black, for hosting us today.

In the past few months, Canada's New Government has announced several environmental initiatives, focussed mainly on clean air and climate change.

Today I want to focus on a completely different aspect of our environmental agenda.

We're gathered for an important announcement about land and wildlife conservation that will be of great interest to Canadians from coast to coast.

Canada is one of the most urbanized countries on earth. Most of us live and work in cities, far removed from nature.

This is not a bad thing. In fact, it's a reflection of our social, technological and economic progress.

But during our century-long transition from a rural, agrarian society to a mostly urban one, we never lost our profound appreciation for Canada's natural heritage.

The great outdoors is at the heart of the Canadian identity.

Our bond with the land is embedded in our literature, music and art, and our economy, our political system and our values have all been shaped by our geography.

That is why Joni Mitchell's lyric about paving paradise to put up parking lots still resonates with millions of Canadians, decades after it was recorded.

That's why outdoor recreation is a favourite pastime for nearly 80% of Canadians.

And that's why Canada has the largest network of national parks and heritage sites in the world.

Today I'm proud to announce that Canada's New Government is partnering with the Nature Conservancy of Canada in a national campaign to acquire and preserve roughly half a million acres of ecologically sensitive lands across southern Canada.

This campaign flows from an important initiative in last year's budget.

Budget 2006 provided for a full capital gains tax exemption for private donations of land to conservation groups like the Nature Conservancy.

This rewards the generosity of landowners who donate ecologically sensitive land, or easements and covenants on such land, to ensure its preservation.

The Nature Conservancy will partner with other private, non-profit conservation groups throughout Canada, such as Ducks Unlimited and the members of the Canadian Land Trust Alliance.

Together, they will identify lands that have scientifically demonstrable environmental value.

Priority will be given to lands that have national or provincial ecological significance, that offer habitat for species at risk or migratory birds, or that complement existing protected areas such as national parks.

The partners will then approach landowners with proposals to either donate or sell the land outright, or to sign agreements to ensure it is protected.

The federal government will seed the Nature Conservancy's campaign with a substantial investment.

The Conservancy and its partners will seek matching funds from private donors.

Two of Canada's senior business leaders are already leading by example.

John Risley and Paul Desmarais Jr. will be taking major roles in helping the Nature Conservancy achieve the goals we're setting today.

The nearby Happy Valley Forest is a perfect example of how this will work.

Earlier today, I met with Dr. Henry Barnett, one of four landowners in the region who have so far contributed 145 acres to the conservancy's 250-acre Happy Valley Forest Nature Reserve.

Dr. Barnett and his neighbours are to be applauded for their contributions to this extraordinarily important conservation project.

Nearly all of Southern Ontario's forests were logged at some point during the last century. But Happy Valley is on the cusp of becoming an old-growth forest, which is almost unheard of in this region.

The trees are tall and healthy. They are home to over a hundred species of birds and numerous threatened species.

The forest is also critical to the ecological health of the Oak Ridges Moraine, which stretches from the Niagara Escarpment to Rice Lake.

The forest cover in this area acts as a natural rain barrel and the source of clean water for 65 rivers and streams.

It also supplies wells that serve over a quarter of a million people.

Without the forest cover, we would have to invest billions in flood protection infrastructure and water treatment facilities.

So preserving forests in Southern Ontario is not just the right thing to do from an environmental perspective; it's prudent economic policy as well.

The investment I am announcing today will enable us to preserve similar treasures for posterity all across the country, like the Sutton Mountains in Quebec.

They will join the vast national wildland bank already established by the Nature Conservancy.

Since its founding 45 years ago, the Conservancy has preserved nearly 2 million acres of our most vulnerable and valuable ecosystems.

These include the Tall Grass Prairie Reserve in Manitoba, large sections of the rugged Atlantic coast, and the Western Lake Eerie Islands right here in Southern Ontario.

Today's initiative complements our government's many other conservation initiatives, including our recent major investment in the Great Bear Rain Forest in British Columbia, the largest temperate rain forest in the world.

The public-private partnership at the core of our agreement with the Nature Conservancy also reflects our commitment to a balanced approach that harnesses the energy and focus of the private sector to the cause of protecting the environment.

Everyone must do their part to protect the environment: business, government, non-profits, and individuals.

Together we can achieve the environmental goals we all share.

Clean air, clean water, clean land, and natural wilderness areas that will be there for our children and our children's children.

Thank you.

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The Prime Minister's Office - Communications
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