I have been fairly cranky about what I've described as the "suck and blow" environmental policies of the Federal Liberals in Canada. I feel that Canadians have been betrayed by promises broken in order to placate voters who will never be satisfied with putting the well-being of the planet ahead of short-term financial gain. When the feds bought an aging pipeline and approved another I decided that in good Christian conscience I couldn't vote for the current government in this Fall's election.
That said, many Canadians may have missed an important announcement over the holiday weekend. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in Iqaluit on Thursday to announce the creation of one of the world’s largest conservation areas and Canada's largest marine protected area: the Tuvaijuittuq Marine Protected Area and the Tallurutiup Imanga National Marine Conservation Area, both in the northeastern region of Nunavut.
Tuvaijuittuq means "the place where the ice that never melts," a shrinking reality in the North. To protect this area Trudeau, along with Nunavut Premier Joe Savikataaq and P.J. Akeeagok, the president of the Qikiqtani Inuit Association, unveiled historic plans to create a 427,000-square-kilometre conservation area off northern Ellesmere Island at Nunavut Arctic College. Fisheries Minister Jonathan Wilkinson and Environment Minister Catherine McKenna were also in attendance.
The allocated area is larger than Newfoundland and Labrador, according to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office, or almost the size of Germany.This is very positive news and I'm grateful to the federal government for this initiative. It doesn't change my mind about the election, but I don't de-crank readily!
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