(Chair) in the chair.

[Translation]

Hello. My name is Rosa Galvez, I am a senator from Quebec, and I am the chair of the committee. Today, we are conducting a meeting of the Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources.

I’d like to begin with a little reminder. Before asking and answering questions, I would ask members and witnesses in the room to refrain from leaning in too close to the microphone or removing their earpieces when doing so. This will avoid any sound feedback that could negatively impact the committee staff in the room.

[English]

Before I ask my fellow committee members to introduce themselves, I would like to welcome Senator Judy White, who is joining this committee as a permanent member. Thank you so much. I will ask committee members to introduce themselves.

[Translation]

Julie Miville-Dechêne, from Quebec.

[English]

Judy White, Newfoundland and Labrador.

Karen Sorensen, Alberta. I am the sponsor of this bill, and I live in Banff National Park, Treaty 7 territory.

Mary Jane McCallum, from the Barren Lands First Nation in Manitoba. Thank you.

David Wells, Newfoundland and Labrador.

David Arnot, Saskatchewan. I live in Treaty 6 territory.

I wish to welcome all of you and viewers across the country who are watching our proceedings.

Today the committee has invited government officials to appear as part of its examination of Bill S-14, An Act to amend the Canada National Parks Act, the Canada National Marine Conservation Areas Act, the Rouge National Urban Park Act and the National Parks of Canada Fishing Regulations. Apart from the officials, we have other guests from Indigenous people groups and also people who work in public health. For our first panel, we welcome: Adeline Salomonie, Director, Marine and Wildlife, Qikiqtani Inuit Association, in person; Professor Ryan Norris, Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, by video conference; and Dr. Melissa Lem, Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, by video conference.

Welcome, and thank you for being with us. Each of you have five minutes for your opening remarks, starting with Ms. Salomonie. The floor is yours.

Thank you. [Indigenous language spoken] good morning. My name is Adeline Salomonie. I am the Director, Marine and Wildlife with the Qikiqtani Inuit Association, which oversees the work related to Tallurutiup Imanga National Marine Conservation Area. We are currently located in Iqaluit. However, we have five affected communities within Tallurutiup Imanga and 25 employees within that section.

Our 25 employees within Tallurutiup Imanga provide food security for the affected communities they live in as well as research and monitoring, community engagement activities and search and rescue. Our department is currently — I would say — 99% Inuit employment. We’re very proud of that and very proud of the work and the food security that our [Indigenous language spoken] programs have been able to provide within Tallurutiup Imanga.

Thank you very much.

Professor Ryan Norris, the floor is yours.

Good morning. I am Professor Ryan Norris. I am from the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of Guelph. My research focuses on conservation of wild populations, primarily birds, butterflies and salamanders. I’ve done quite a bit of research on parks nationally and regionally, and I have done quite a bit of work inside parks as well.

I am involved in a reintroduction of an endangered butterfly species here in Ontario. I’ve done a number of macro assessments of the effectiveness of the parks system in Canada. Thank you.

Are those your opening remarks?

Yes, that’s it. Thank you.

Thank you. Dr. Melissa Lem, the floor is yours.

Thank you and good morning, committee members. I appreciate the opportunity to speak to you today about Bill S-14. As a family physician and President of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, whose mission is to better human health by protecting the planet, I wholeheartedly support the spirit of this well-named bill, Protecting Canada’s Natural Wonders Act.

On a personal level, I want to share how much access to nature meant to me in my formative years. I grew up in the suburbs of Toronto in a majority White neighbourhood where local green spaces, including Rouge Park, which we now know as Rouge National Urban Park, were essential places for me to escape bullying and racism and find belonging. Bruce Peninsula National Park is where I fell in love with nature during my family’s camping trips, splashing in the blue waters of Georgian Bay, and looking up at the dark sky filled with thousands of stars away from the glow of the city.

Research tells us that children who spend more time in nature are more likely to grow up into adult environmentalists, and I am a living example of this. Over and above the biodiversity values and pro-environmental behaviours that nature access inspires across the lifespan, it is so clear to me as a practising physician how important it is that we prioritize nature-positive measures within our cities and beyond.

In 2021, as we know, over 600 people died in British Columbia during the western heat dome. Patients streamed into my office with more cases of heat illness than I have ever seen in my entire career, and emergency room colleagues told me they were literally running from room to room intubating patients having seizures from heat stroke. Research from the BC Centre for Disease Control revealed that alongside advanced age, chronic disease and lack of inner cooling, lack of proximity to green space was an independent risk factor for death during the heat dome. The worst wildfires we saw in Canadian history this year filled hospitals with heart attacks and asthma exacerbations from smoke pollution, costing the Ontario health care system $1.28 billion in just one week. The health harms of climate change we are seeing in real time stem from our historic lack of protection and respect for the ecosystems that form the foundation of our complex social and structural determinants of health. Only 20% of our health stats in Canada comes from our health care system, and the other 80% rely on factors like clean air, clean water and safe and healthy environments.

Though the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment campaigns to reduce fossil fuel use and demand, including advocacy for strong and effective greenhouse gas emissions caps, and banning fossil fuel advertising, the simultaneous truth is that we will not keep 1.5 alive without immediate action on nature protection. Scientists estimate that fully embracing nature-based solutions for climate change could get the world over one third of the way to its Paris agreement targets. Not only that, but nature protection and getting people to those outdoor spaces are broadly supported by my colleagues within the health care system. I also direct PaRx, Canada’s national nature prescription program, powered by the BC Parks Foundation, where over 12,000 health professionals have issued over 600,000 prescriptions for time in nature to improve their patients’ health. In 2022, we proudly and gratefully announced a collaboration with Parks Canada where our prescribers could prescribe free Parks Canada Discovery Passes to their patients to facilitate their access to nature.

Strong and effective regulations are also needed to keep nature protected as it protects our health. I applaud the amendments in this bill that will strengthen Canada’s ability to prevent pollution and degradation of natural spaces, and I would also reinforce the importance of a right to a healthy environment and principles of environmental justice that were recently added to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act and ask that the committee consider these in how this bill will be enforced.

Protection of lands and waters in Canada must also take place in full collaboration with Indigenous peoples. Scientists estimate that intake of essential nutrients by B.C. First Nations could drop by over 30% by 2050 due to declines in marine food species from climate change. Protecting green and blue spaces while ensuring access to them for traditional practices are essential for avoiding unintended health consequences for Indigenous peoples who already suffer from lower health status due to systemic inequities.

In summary, concrete action today on nature conservation and protection is vital for healthy environments to sustain healthy people. The planet and our health systems are telling us loud and clear that there is no time for delay and also that there is broad support for these measures across Canada. Thank you.

Thank you to our witnesses. We will go to the question period, starting with Senator Sorensen.

Thank you for being here. My first question is for Ms. Salomonie. I understand that Parks Canada is currently working with Qikiqtani Inuit Association, or QIA, the Government of Nunavut and key federal departments to complete an interim management plan — I worked on many of those as well — to guide management of Tallurutiup Imanga among a National Marine Conservation Area. During the establishment process for the National Marine Conservation Area, I also understand there was extensive consultation with local communities. Can you expand for us what those consultations looked like, and I am curious how those negotiations are going on that plan.

Sure. Thank you for that question. Before the Tallurutiup Imanga agreement was signed, of course there were consultations, especially around what Inuit wanted within that region and what the boundary would look like for Tallurutiup Imanga. Since then, more community consultations are occurring within the Tallurutiup Imanga communities, in regards to either research and monitoring, consultations around small craft and community harbours. They are currently ongoing. It is a very busy time for our department. I think we are currently about to start more consultations for Tallurutiup Imanga and Tuktoyaktuk as well.

Thank you.

To Mr. Norris, I would mention I am a Guelph grad but not at the level of education you have, but I certainly enjoyed my time there. With the increase in the impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss, ensuring these lands can benefit from the highest level of protection is more important than ever. In your opinion, do you feel that Bill S-14 strengthens the tools used to operate and manage national parks and national marine areas and assures us that Parks Canada is better placed to deliver on the conservation agenda for the Government of Canada?