BACKGROUNDER

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Canadian Endangered Species Conservation Council (CESCC)

The Canadian Endangered Species Conservation Council (CESCC) was formed in 1998 by federal, provincial and territorial Wildlife Ministers under the Accord for the Protection of Species at Risk in Canada. The CESCC includes the federal Minister of the Environment, the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and the Minister responsible for the Parks Canada Agency as well as provincial and territorial ministers responsible for wildlife. The Council is co-chaired by the Minister of the Environment and the Minister from the host province or territory.

The Council is responsible for providing national leadership and direction for preventing wild species from becoming at risk. It has specific responsibilities for overseeing the assessment and recovery of species that are at risk nationally, and plays a role in resolving issues under the Accord.

Species assessments are made by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC), a committee of wildlife experts. COSEWIC makes its list public and forwards it to CESCC along with a rationale for each designation. The CESCC determines and coordinates the most effective response actions.

The CESCC is responsible for monitoring and reporting every five years on the status of all species in Canada, and for communicating the progress on programs to the public. The first such report (Wild Species 2000: The General Status of Species in Canada) was released in April 2001. The CESCC is also mandated to foster stewardship of natural habitats by resource users and managers, landowners and other citizens to protect species at risk.

A list of the Ministers who make up the CESCC is attached. More information can be found on the Canadian Wildlife Service's Web site at:
http://www.sararegistry.gc.ca/

MINISTERS
CANADIAN ENDANGERED SPECIES CONSERVATION COUNCIL
SEPTEMBER 2003

ALBERTA Honourable Mike Cardinal Minister of Sustainable Resource Development BRITISH COLUMBIA Honourable Joyce Murray Minister of Water, Land and Air Protection CANADA Honourable David Anderson Minister of the Environment Honourable Sheila Copps Minister of Canadian Heritage Honourable Robert Thibault Minister of Fisheries and Oceans MANITOBA Honourable Steve Ashton Minister of Conservation NEW BRUNSWICK Honourable Keith Ashfield Minister of Natural Resources NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR Honourable Julie Bettney Minister of Tourism, Culture & Recreation

NORTHWEST TERRITORIES Mr. Jim Antoine Minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development NOVA SCOTIA Honourable Richard Hurlburt Minister of Natural Resources NUNAVUT Mr. Olayuk Akesuk Minister of Sustainable Development ONTARIO Honourable Jerry Ouellette Minister of Natural Resources PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND Honourable Chester Gillan Minister of Environment QUÉBEC M. Pierre Corbeil Ministre délégué à la Forêt, à la Faune et aux Parcs M. Thomas Mulcair Ministre de l’Environnement SASKATCHEWAN Honourable Buckley Belanger Minister of the Environment YUKON TERRITORY Mr. Jim Kenyon Minister of Environment

 

Canadian Intergovernmental Conference Secretariat (CICS)

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