Environment minister should step up support for wildlife protection group: Senate committee

Ottawa – The advisory panel tasked with assessing endangered wildlife in Canada is underfunded, limiting its ability to provide advice on Canada’s endangered species.

The Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources outlined its concerns about resources allocated to the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) in a recent letter to Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature Julie Dabrusin.

COSEWIC is an independent, arms-length advisory panel that classifies Canadian wildlife species at risk of extinction. At a Senate committee meeting in February 2026, the chair of COSEWIC said the group’s budget had been cut from $1.8 million in 2023–24 to $1.6 million in 2024–25, severely limiting the group’s ability to operate and forcing it to scale back certain activities.

Funding cuts, for example, have hampered the work of COSEWIC’s Aboriginal Traditional Knowledge Subcommittee, which plays a vital role in ensuring Indigenous knowledge is included in COSEWIC status reports. The lack of resources impedes COSEWIC’s ability to work with Indigenous communities and to adequately integrate their knowledge into the assessment process.

COSEWIC must have sufficient, stable and long-term support to fulfil its mandate effectively.

Associated Links

• Read the letter to Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin.
• Follow the committee on social media using #ENEV.
• Subscribe to email alerts for Senate committees.
• Sign up for the Senate eNewsletter.

For more information:

Monica Granados
Communications Officer | Senate of Canada
343-550-5448 | monica.granados@sen.parl.gc.ca