Environment Minister must protect Western Chorus Frog

The Conservative government has a legal obligation to take immediate action to protect the Western Chorus Frog—an endangered species that’s being threatened by residential development.

“It is incumbent upon you to immediately issue an emergency protection order to establish that all the conditions of [the Species at Risk Act] and its regulations are implemented in order to protect the population of Western Chorus Frogs,” wrote Official Opposition Environment critic Megan Leslie (Halifax) in a letter to Environment Minister Leona Aglukkaq.

A 1,300-unit residential development project in La Prairie, Quebec, continues to pose a significant threat to this population of amphibians. If it goes ahead, the project will destroy a significant portion of the Western Chorus Frog’s recognized habitat.

The Species at Risk Act (SARA) aims to:

1. prevent wildlife species from becoming extinct ;
2. provide for the recovery of wildlife species that are extirpated, endangered or threatened as a result of human activity; and
3. manage species of special concern to prevent them from becoming endangered or threatened.

“The Act and Environment Canada’s responsibilities are clear: it is the Minister’s obligation to protect this endangered species,” added local NDP MP Hoang Mai (Brossard—La Prairie).