Meeting of Ministers responsible for Forests, Wildlife, Endangered Species and Fisheries and Aquaculture and the Canadian Endangered Species Conservation Council

The Canadian Endangered Species Conservation Council (CESCC) was formed in 1998 by federal, provincial and territorial Wildlife Ministers under the Accord for the Protection of Species at Risk in Canada. The CESCC includes the federal Minister of the Environment, the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and the Minister responsible for the Parks Canada Agency as well as provincial and territorial ministers responsible for wildlife. The Council is co-chaired by the Minister of the Environment and the Minister from the host province or territory.

The Council is responsible for providing national leadership and direction for preventing wild species from becoming at risk. It has specific responsibilities for overseeing the assessment and recovery of species that are at risk nationally, and plays a role in resolving issues under the Accord.

Species assessments are made by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC), a committee of wildlife experts. COSEWIC makes its list public and forwards it to CESCC along with a rationale for each designation. The CESCC determines and coordinates the most effective response actions.

The CESCC is responsible for monitoring and reporting every five years on the status of all species in Canada, and for communicating the progress on programs to the public. The first such report (Wild Species 2000: The General Status of Species in Canada) was released in April 2001. The CESCC is also mandated to foster stewardship of natural habitats by resource users and managers, landowners and other citizens to protect species at risk.

A list of the Ministers who make up the CESCC is attached. More information can be found on the Canadian Wildlife Service's Web site at:
http://www.sararegistry.gc.ca/

MINISTERS
CANADIAN ENDANGERED SPECIES CONSERVATION COUNCIL
SEPTEMBER 2003

                                               

ALBERTA            Honourable Mike Cardinal            Minister of Sustainable Resource Development             BRITISH COLUMBIA            Honourable Joyce Murray            Minister of Water, Land and Air Protection             CANADA            Honourable David Anderson            Minister of the Environment             Honourable Sheila Copps            Minister of Canadian Heritage             Honourable Robert Thibault            Minister of Fisheries and Oceans             MANITOBA            Honourable Steve Ashton            Minister of Conservation             NEW BRUNSWICK            Honourable Keith Ashfield            Minister of Natural Resources             NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR            Honourable Julie Bettney            Minister of Tourism, Culture & Recreation

NORTHWEST TERRITORIES            Mr. Jim Antoine            Minister of Resources, Wildlife and            Economic Development             NOVA SCOTIA            Honourable Richard Hurlburt            Minister of Natural Resources             NUNAVUT            Mr. Olayuk Akesuk            Minister of Sustainable Development             ONTARIO            Honourable Jerry Ouellette            Minister of Natural Resources             PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND            Honourable Chester Gillan            Minister of Environment             QUÉBEC            M. Pierre Corbeil            Ministre délégué à la Forêt, à la Faune            et aux Parcs             M. Thomas Mulcair            Ministre de l’Environnement             SASKATCHEWAN            Honourable Buckley Belanger            Minister of the Environment             YUKON TERRITORY            Mr. Jim Kenyon            Minister of Environment