In its annual budget report released late September, the Green Budget Coalition of Canada advises that a substantial public investment in Canada’s ecosystems and species is required to protect and restore Canada’s land, inland waters, and oceans. “All ecosystem types in Canada are declining and the number of species at risk continues to grow,” the Green Budget Coalition states in its Recommendations for Budget 2018.

Comprised of nineteen leading environmental and conservation organizations, and co-funded by the Metcalf Foundation, the Coalition’s annual report noted that despite the promises of successive governments, Canada still has a long way to go. Currently, only a small percentage of terrestrial and marine ecosystems are protected.

“The federal government has already made important commitments towards tackling climate change,” says James Brennan, Green Budget Coalition Co-Chair and Director of Government Affairs for Ducks Unlimited Canada. “We believe that the government must now address the urgent crisis unfolding in Canada’s natural environment.”

In addition to protecting natural ecosystems, the Coalition is recommending that the federal government invest in environmentally sustainable agriculture and fisheries. These are leading industries in Canada and substantial environmental investments are required to ensure their future viability while conserving biodiversity and preventing continued habitat loss.