Order Acknowledging Receipt of the Assessments Done Pursuant to Subsection 23(1) of the Act: SI/2020-61

Canada Gazette, Part II, Volume 154, Number 18

Registration

SI/2020-61 September 2, 2020

SPECIES AT RISK ACT

P.C. 2020-575 August 23, 2020

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

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

SCHEDULE

Endangered Species

Birds

• Lark, Streaked Horned (Eremophila alpestris strigata)
  Alouette hausse-col de la sous-espèce strigata
• Sparrow, Coastal Vesper (Pooecetes gramineus affinis)
  Bruant vespéral de la sous-espèce affinis
• Woodpecker, Red-headed (Melanerpes erythrocephalus)
  Pic à tête rouge

Amphibians

• Salamander, Allegheny Mountain Dusky
  (Desmognathus ochrophaeus) Appalachian population
  Salamandre sombre des montagnes population des Appalaches

Arthropods

• Sun Moth, False-foxglove (Pyrrhia aurantiago)
  Héliotin orangé

Plants

• Rockcress, Quebec (Boechera quebecensis)
  Arabette du Québec

Mosses

• Moss, Acuteleaf Small Limestone (Seligeria acutifolia)
  Séligérie à feuilles aiguës

Threatened Species

Mosses

• Moss, Spoon-leaved (Bryoandersonia illecebra)
  Andersonie charmante

Special Concern

Reptiles

• Skink, Prairie (Plestiodon septentrionalis)
  Scinque des Prairies
• Turtle, Eastern Painted (Chrysemys picta picta)
  Tortue peinte de l’Est
• Turtle, Midland Painted (Chrysemys picta marginata)
  Tortue peinte du Centre

Arthropods

• Leafhopper, Red-tailed (Aflexia rubranura) Great Lakes Plains population
  Cicadelle à queue rouge population des plaines des Grands Lacs
• Leafhopper, Red-tailed (Aflexia rubranura) Prairie population
  Cicadelle à queue rouge population des Prairies

Plants

• Wild Buckwheat, Yukon (Eriogonum flavum var. aquilinum)
  Ériogone du Nord

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 14 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 SARA by 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.

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 wildlife species at risk contained in Schedule 1 to SARA, 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 GIC has not taken a course of action under subsection 27(1.1) of SARA within nine months after receiving a COSEWIC assessment, the Minister of the Environment must, by order, amend the List in accordance with COSEWIC’s assessment.

Consultations

Initial consultations were held with interested stakeholders and members of the public between January 2019 and May 2019 for 12 species. No additional consultations were held for the Coastal Vesper Sparrow and the Streaked Horned Lark since they have been assessed at the same risk classification and would have their name changed only.

These consultations will be summarized in the regulatory impact analysis statement (RIAS) that will accompany the proposed Order to amend Schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act.

Departmental contact

Bruno Lafontaine
Acting Director
Species at Risk Act Policy and Regulatory Affairs
Canada Wildlife Service
Environment and Climate Change Canada
Gatineau, Quebec
K1A 0H3
Telephone: 1‑800‑668‑6767
Email: ec.LEPreglementations-SARAregulations.ec@canada.ca