Federal-Provincial-Territorial Meeting of Ministers responsible for Wildlife
BACKGROUNDER – The Accord for the Protection of Species at Risk
A history of cooperation
There is a long history of cooperation on species at risk among federal, provincial, and territorial governments. Through the designation of protected areas, implementation of international wildlife agreements and a commitment to biodiversity, governments have worked together on many nature issues.
In the spring of 1995, officials from Environment Canada, the provinces and territories held several public workshops in many areas of the country to determine what should be included in a national approach to protecting species at risk. This led governments to develop the Accord for the Protection of Species at Risk. In October 1996, Wildlife Ministers agreed to the Accord and committed to a common approach to protecting species at risk that includes complementary legislation and programs..
In 1998, stakeholders, environmental organizations, communities and individuals took part in two national workshops sponsored by Wildlife Directors on draft plans for implementing the Accord.
Commitments under the Accord
The Accord lays out a number of commitments to protect species at risk. By endorsing its terms, governments recognize that intergovernmental cooperation is crucial to the conservation and protection of species at risk, that governments must play a leadership role, and that complementary federal and provincial/territorial legislation, regulations, policies and programs are essential to protecting species at risk.
From Victoria to Quebec City
In Victoria in September 1998, Ministers strengthened provisions of the Accord by placing greater emphasis and recognition on stewardship. They also agreed to implement a common process for regular monitoring of the status of all wild species, and committed to issuing a wildlife status report in the year 2000.
In the past year, there have been a number of activities and developments that further the spirit of the Accord in federal-provincial/territorial cooperation on species at risk:
- There were 88 Status Assessments of species by the Council on the Status of Endangered Species in Canada (COSEWIC);
- Work on 33 recovery teams covering 37 different species under RENEW (Recovery of Nationally Endangered Wildlife); and
- The proclamation of Nova Scotia's Endangered Species Act on May 1,1999.
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