85.11EM Budget Cuts to Environmental and Wildlife Research Program
Whereas, Our ecosystem sustains all life and the quality of that life; and,
Whereas, The future of our ecosystem requires that society develop an understanding of the chemical and physical properties interacting on, and with our wildlife and environment; and,
Whereas, $46-million has been cut from the budget of Environment Canada which has resulted in the loss of important scientific research programs; and,
Whereas, Scientists have subsequently stated that these programs are necessary to understand the links between chemicals in the environment and potential health effects on the human organism; and,
Whereas, Total reinstatement is vital in order to determine the risk to human health associated with the hundreds of chemicals identified in the Great Lakes; and,
Whereas, The levels of toxic chemicals also serve to act as a barometer of the success of pollution control programs;
therefore, be it,
RESOLVED, That The National Council of Women of Canada urge the Government of Canada to:
- Reinstate, in their entirety:
a) The Herring Gull Contaminants Monitoring Program;
b) The Effects of Agricultural Pesticides on Prairie Wetlands and Water Fowl;
c) The Porcupine Caribou Head Study; - Make no further cuts to the budgets of environmental research programs.
- Expand the public consultation program through Environment Canada, so that in the future the government will have a vehicle in place to accurately judge public concerns and expectations about environmentally sensitive issues.