Canada’s Endangered Species

Canada has rapidly improved in it’s responsibility of protecting endangered animal species in the last few years but can still introduce more laws and regulations for the protection of the species at risk. There are approximately five hundred fifty-six endangered animal species in Canada; here are twenty-six highlighted out of the five hundred fifty-six of them: the Wood Turtle, the Olive Sided Fly Catcher, the Freshwater Seal, the Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake, the North Atlantic Right Whale, Vancouver Island Marmot, Sea Otter, Sei Whale, Trumpeter Swan, Whooping Crane, Pronghorn, Piping Plover, Loggerhead Turtle, Eastern Cougar, Eskimo Curlew, Banff Snail, Burrowing Owl, Bison, Kangaroo Rat, Peary Caribou, Peregrine Falcon, Polar Bear, Woodland Caribou, Bull Trout, Furrugious Hawk and the Northern Leopard Frog. (Sources two, seventeen and eight)

For many years Canada had no laws in place to protect endangered animal species. In 1996 a bill was brought to notice by the government, referred to as Bill C-65. This bill aimed to prevent animal species extinction throughout Canada by providing the animals with safe locations where they can’t be shot, but it failed. The bill caused plenty of controversy because many people believed it did nothing to save the endangered species on Federal lands. Later in 1996, Canada’s Minister responsible for Canadian wildlife supported the “National Accord for the protection of Species at risk.” The accord was supposed to provide basic protection for endangered animals and their habitats across Canada, but even as it got closer to the new millennium, Canada was not successfully completing the requirements of the National Accord. New Brunswick, Ontario and Quebec all have protected areas for the environment but still need to finish the goals of the Accord and meet the needs of species at risk. In 2003 people who were concerned formed the Species at Risk Act organization. A year later another law was finally put in action to make harming the endangered animals illegal and punishable by fines; unfortunately, there was usually no one to enforce this law. Now, in 2008, the fines can range from fifty thousand to one million dollars just for shooting an endangered animal! However the lack of enforcement still posed a problem. (Sources one, twelve and sixteen)

The Species at Risk Act (SARA) was created in June 2003 to protect Canada’s endangered animal species. SARA is one of three national protection groups that protects and provides a safe habitat for Canada’s endangered animal species. SARA was established to accomplish many things. Some of their goals for the future are to establish a committee of experts to study and identify species at risk. Use their knowledge to define an action to save the animals, make regulations to protect the listed species and their habitat, and to write a user-friendly logbook for the public to understand how to follow the law. The act must be in agreement with and respect treaty rights and both provincial and federal governments. It provides federal legislation to prevent wildlife species from becoming extinct and to aid their recovery. (Sources eleven and fourteen)