Restore the Prairie Pasture Program and the Tree Farm

The Saskatchewan-based Public Pastures-Public Interest is reporting that the new federal government may re-consider Stephen Harper’s decision to kill the Community Pastures program which for decades had protected and sustained more than 2 million acres of majestic, unique and fragile prairie grassland!

A narrow window of opportunity may now be open to urge the federal government to reverse that harmful decision.

Please send a message to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food:

The Honourable Lawrence MacAulay
Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON
K1A 0A6

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The previous government’s decision to abandon environmental and conservation stewardship of the unique grassland ecosystem in the heart of the Canadian Prairies formerly protected by the federal Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration (PFRA) has left this significant national asset at risk.

I am writing to request a full Strategic Environmental Assessment of the risks to the natural and human heritage in the PFRA Pastures, in accordance with The Cabinet Directive on the Environmental Assessment of Policy, Plan and Program Proposals.  Please ensure the assessment includes the former government’s related decision to end the Shelter Belt Program and close the Agro-Forestry Centre.

These pastures are a precious public trust.  They are home to more than 30 species at risk and are an important natural mitigation against the harmful effects of climate change. Soil and water conservation is provided by the pastures.

Today, in Saskatchewan where the majority (1.6 millions acres) of the grasslands are located, this public trust is now open to private ownership, a state of affairs that may threaten Indigenous rights to access the land.

When the former government turned its back on these rare and beautiful lands, Canada’s reputation on the world stage suffered as these pastures are part of Canada's commitment to its 2020 Biodiversity Goals, in accordance with the Global Aichi Biodiversity Targets.  As rare and ecologically important as coastal old-growth forest, the PFRA grasslands are listed by the World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) as lands that Canada had made a commitment to protect.

When the former government announced the end of the Community Pasture program it also announced the closure of a farm that develops and produces trees able to survive the harsh prairie climate to serve as shelters against wind erosion. The Shelter Belt program delivered important benefits including carbon sequestration, biodiversity, wildlife habitat, and soil and water conservation and decades of scientific and genetic research to develop new varieties of trees and study their uses.

Please also re-consider this decision to kill the Shelter Belt Program and close the Agro-Forestry Centre.

For 75 years, federal management of these pastures ensured balanced land use that successfully rehabilitated these fragile and historic lands from near desert conditions to natural grassland, a landscape with huge heritage and cultural significance for many Canadians.

This fine balance could be thrown to the prairie winds if the current federal government fails to reverse this damaging decision.  Please get back to let me know what you will be doing on this important issue.

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CC:

The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, P.C., M.P. - Prime Minister of Canada
The Honourable Catherine McKenna - Minister of the Environment and Climate Change
The Honourable Ralph Goodale - Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
The Honourable Caroline Bennett, P.C., M.P. - Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs
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