Federal budget looks ready to help protect more lands, inland waters, oceans
OTTAWA — The federal government appears poised to commit what some believe could be a significant amount of cash in next week’s budget to protect more of Canada’s lands, inland waters and oceans.
Federal insiders say the government feels its climate-change financing has largely been dealt with, so Ottawa will likely shift its funding focus to other international obligations on the environment, including protected spaces.
Groups pushing Canada to fulfil its United Nations vow to safeguard more of its ecosystems by 2020 say signals from Ottawa suggest this will be the year the government announces a big investment.
It remains to seen how far the Liberal government will go to meet its targets under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity — but the clock is ticking.