Vol. 151, No. 5 — March 8, 2017

Registration

SI/2017-17 March 8, 2017

SPECIES AT RISK ACT

Order Acknowledging Receipt of the Assessments Done Pursuant to Subsection 23(1) of the Act

P.C. 2017-162 February 24, 2017

His Excellency the Governor General in Council, on the recommendation of the Minister of the Environment, acknowledges receipt, on the making of this Order, of assessments done pursuant to subsection 23(1) of the Species at Risk Act (see footnote a) by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada with respect to the status of the species set out in the annexed schedule.

SCHEDULE

Endangered Species

Birds

Chat virens subspecies, Yellow-breasted (Icteria virens virens)

Paruline polyglotte de la sous-espèce virens

Warbler, Cerulean (Setophaga cerulea)

Paruline azurée

Threatened Species

Birds

Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus)

Goglu des prés

Meadowlark, Eastern (Sturnella magna)

Sturnelle des prés

Swallow, Bank (Riparia riparia)

Hirondelle de rivage

Swallow, Barn (Hirundo rustica)

Hirondelle rustique

Thrush, Wood (Hylocichla mustelina)

Grive des bois

Special Concern

Birds

Grebe, Western (Aechmophorus occidentalis)

Grèbe élégant

Sparrow pratensis subspecies, Grasshopper (Ammodramus savannarum pratensis)

Bruant sauterelle de la sous-espèce de l’Est

Wood-pewee, Eastern (Contopus virens)

Pioui de l’Est

Not at Risk

Birds

Warbler, Hooded (Setophaga citrina)

Paruline à capuchon

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Order.)

Proposal

Order to acknowledge receipt of the assessments from the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) regarding the status of 11 wildlife species under paragraph 15(1)(a) and in accordance with subsection 23(1) of the Species at Risk Act (SARA).

Objective

The objective of this Order is for the Governor in Council (GIC), on the recommendation of the Minister of the Environment, to acknowledge receipt of the assessments undertaken pursuant to subsection 23(1) of the Species at Risk Act by the COSEWIC with respect to the wildlife species set out in the annexed schedule of the Order.

Background

The purpose of SARA is to prevent wildlife species from being extirpated or becoming extinct; to provide for the recovery of wildlife species that are extirpated, endangered, or threatened as a result of human activity; and to manage species of special concern to prevent them from becoming endangered or threatened. COSEWIC was formed as an independent scientific body in 1977 with a mandate to provide a single, official, scientifically sound, national classification of wildlife species at risk in Canada. The Committee provides the Minister of the Environment with assessments of the status of Canadian wildlife species.

Of the 11 wildlife species COSEWIC assessments included in this Order, 8 are new assessments and 2 are reclassifications of a species already on the List of Wildlife Species at Risk (the List) set out in Schedule 1 to SARA. One is a listed wildlife species currently assessed as not at risk.

Implications

Under subsection 27(1.1) of SARA, the GIC may, on the recommendation of the Minister of the Environment, within nine months after receiving COSEWIC’s assessment of the status of a species, review the COSEWIC assessment, accept the assessment and add the species to the List of species at risk, decide not to add the species to the List or refer the matter back to COSEWIC for further information or consideration. Under subsection 27(1) of SARA, the GIC may also, on the recommendation of the Minister of the Environment, reclassify or remove a listed species.

In addition, under subsection 27(2) of SARA, before making a recommendation in respect of a wildlife species or a species at risk, the Minister of the Environment must take into account the assessment of COSEWIC in respect of the species, consult the competent minister or ministers and, if a species is found in an area in respect of which a wildlife management board is authorized by a land claims agreement to perform functions in respect of a wildlife species, consult the wildlife management board.

Under subsection 27(3) of SARA, if the Governor in Council has not taken a course of action under subsection 27(1.1) of SARA within nine months after receiving a COSEWIC assessment, the Minister must, by order, amend the List in accordance with COSEWIC’s assessment. However, in regard to this Order, this nine-month timeline does not apply to the two assessments reclassifying species, or the assessment classifying a species as not at risk, as these species are already on the List.

Consultation

Initial consultations with interested stakeholders and members of the public took place from November 2010 to February 2011 for one species, from December 2011 to February 2012 for three species, from December 2012 to March 2013 for two species, from December 2013 to March 2014 for three species and from January to April 2015 for two species. These consultations will be summarized in the Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement that will accompany the proposed Order to Amend Schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act.

Departmental contact

Mary Jane Roberts
Director
SARA Management and Regulatory Affairs
Canadian Wildlife Service
Environment and Climate Change Canada
Gatineau, Quebec
K1A 0H3
Telephone: 1-800-668-6767