November 9, 2018

Ottawa, Ontario

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

The Government of Canada is committed to protecting and recovering aquatic species at risk, to the benefit of Canada's biodiversity and local communities that rely on our natural resources.

The Government of Canada has created the Nature Legacy to protect Canada's nature and wildlife. As part of the Nature Legacy, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, announced today that Fisheries and Oceans Canada is providing project funding for two on-going programs that contribute to the protection, recovery and conservation of aquatic species at risk and the habitats that support them.

The investments in the Aboriginal Fund for Species at Risk and Habitat Stewardship Program are intended to support Canadians in their efforts to help protect and recover aquatic species at risk and are intended to not only remove human threats to the habitats of aquatic species at risk, but also to support their recovery and protect them in the future so that the benefits of these efforts will be sustained for generations to come.

For 2018-2019:

• the Aboriginal Fund for Species at Risk is investing more than $2.2 million for 51 projects.
• the Habitat Stewardship Program is investing more than $1.6 million for 41 projects.

The Government of Canada is committed to collaborating with Indigenous organizations in the stewardship of aquatic species at risk and the ecosystems they depend on, to the benefit of Canada's biodiversity and local communities that rely on our natural resources.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada will be putting out a call for proposals for 2019-2020 projects for both programs in the coming weeks.