Keith comments on new National Park Reserve

VICTORIA – Dr. Keith Martin, MP for Esquimalt – Juan de Fuca commented today on the announcement of a new national park reserve on the East Coast. The governments of Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador have announced the establishment of a new National Park Reserve. The new reserve will protect more than 10,000 square kilometres in Labrador.

“If Newfoundland and Labrador can get this done, then certainly the Province of British Columbia should also be able to protect our west coast,” said Dr. Keith Martin. “Time is of the essence. If we are going to protect these lands we must act now before they are sold to the highest bidder.”

Dr. Martin recently introduced a Private Member’s Motion in the House of Commons calling on the Government to extend the Pacific Rim National Park to include the former TFL land near Jordan River and Port Renfrew.

“This may be our last chance to protect these lands for future generations. We already have the Pacific Rim National Park to the north-west and the Juan de Fuca Marine trail along the coast, connecting these parks and adding some other sensitive areas will ensure the protection of contiguous ecosystems, critical habitats, and the natural beauty of this part of our coastline forever,” said Dr. Martin.

The creation of the Greater Pacific Rim National Park would create an enduring legacy of national and international importance for generations to come.

- Dr. Keith Martin is the MP for Esquimalt – Juan de Fuca where the lands needed to form the Greater Pacific Rim National Park reside.

The full text of Dr. Martin’s motion is below:

In the opinion of this House, the Government of Canada should work with the Province of British Columbia, local communities, and relevant stakeholders to extend the Pacific Rim National Park to include the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail and other adjacent areas extending to Jordan River to form the Greater Pacific Rim National Park.

Keith comments on new National Park Reserve

This entry was posted on Friday, February 5th, 2010 at 2:09 pm and is filed under Environment, In Our Community, In the Media. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.