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BIEAP >
Partners > Environment Canada
Environment
Canada is the federal government's main environmental arm. Its
mandate is to:
- preserve
and enhance the quality of the natural environment, including
water, air and soil quality;
- conserve
Canada's renewable resources, including migratory birds and other
non-domestic flora and fauna;
- conserve
and protect Canada's water resources;
- carry
out meteorology;
- enforce
the rules made by the Canada - United States International Joint
Commission relating to boundary waters; and,
- to
co-ordinate environmental policies and programs for the federal
government.
Environment
Canada promotes a vision of Canada where people make responsible
decisions about the environment, where the environment is sustained
for the benefit of present and future generations, and helps Canadians
live and prosper in an environment that needs to be respected, protected
and conserved.
Environment
Canada and BIEAP
As
a federal agency, Environment Canada is responsible for every aspect
of Canada's environment: land, water, air, and wildlife. Any actions
for BIEAP area of interest must be consistent with policies established
for the rest of Canada.
Environment
Canada plays an important role in all areas of the Program, with
a presence on the Partners Committee, the Management Committee and the Burrard Environmental
Review Committee (BERC).
Legislation
most applicable to the BIEAP area includes the Canadian
Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA), the Fisheries
Act (principally Section 36(3) which prohibits the planned
or accidental discharge of deleterious substances to waters frequented
by fish), the Migratory
Birds Convention Act, and the Canadian
Environmental Protection Act. Environment Canada co-ordinates
waterfowl surveys through the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) branch.
The
Canadian Wildlife Service
The
Canadian Wildlife
Service is Canada's national wildlife agency which operates
under the auspices of Environment Canada. They handle wildlife matters
that are the responsibility of the federal government. This includes
the protection and management of migratory birds and nationally
important wildlife habitat, endangered species, research on nationally
important wildlife issues, control of international trade in endangered
species, and international treaties. The federal and provincial
governments share wildlife management in Canada.
In
1973 the Canada
Wildlife Act was passed enabling the federal government
to carry out wildlife research and, in co-operation with the provinces,
to undertake a wide range of wildlife conservation and interpretation
activities for "any non-domestic animals or their habitats."
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