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. 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.

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 2004
ALBERTA            Honourable Mike Cardinal            Minister of Sustainable Resource Development	NORTHWEST TERRITORIES            Honourable Brendan Bell            Minister of Resources, Wildlife and            Economic Development
BRITISH COLUMBIA            Honourable Bill Barisoff            Minister of Water, Land and Air Protection	NOVA SCOTIA            Honourable Richard Hurlburt            Minister of Natural Resources
CANADA            Honourable Stéphane Dion            Minister of the Environment	NUNAVUT            Honourable Olayuk Akesuk            Minister of the Environment
Honourable Geoff Regan            Minister of Fisheries and Oceans	ONTARIO            Honourable Dave Ramsay            Minister of Natural Resources
MANITOBA            Honourable Stan Struthers            Minister of Conservation	PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND            Honourable Jamie Ballem            Minister of Environment and Energy
NEW BRUNSWICK            Honourable Keith Ashfield            Minister of Natural Resources	QUÉBEC            Honourable Pierre Corbeil            Ministre délégué à la Forêt, à la Faune et aux Parcs
NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR            Honourable Tom Osborne            Minister of the Environemnt and Conservation	SASKATCHEWAN            Honourable David Forbes            Minister of the Environment
	YUKON TERRITORY            Honourable Peter Jenkins            Minister of Environment