Honourable senators, I am proud to rise today to commemorate the eighty-fifth anniversary of Nature Canada and the tenth anniversary of the Women for Nature program. I was introduced to them by our colleague Diane Griffin.

It was in 1930 when Reginald Whittemore founded the Canadian Nature magazine which would later become the Audubon Society of Canada in 1948, the Canadian Nature Federation in 1971 and eventually Nature Canada in 2004. This makes it one of the oldest national nature conservation charities in Canada. Since its inception, it has been at the forefront of environmental advocacy in Canada, and has spearheaded countless initiatives and programs to help protect Canada’s natural habitats, namely the Women for Nature program.

This program is the collaborative voices of Canadian women of influence who chose to demonstrate their passion for nature and pass on their values to others to drive change. It also helps fund women-led nature conservation projects across the country.

I am proud to be the Honorary Chair of the Women for Nature program, and to welcome so many successful and passionate women here at the Senate today. The work that they do is essential to ensure a healthy and thriving environment, to keep a safe climate and to bring nature back to our and future generations’ lives.

We all know that the planet is going through rapid changes because of human activity. Every year, we see a concerning increase in global temperature, which is accompanied by destructive and unaffordable extreme weather events. Canada’s wildlife and natural ecosystems are increasingly vulnerable and fragile, and some of them are disappearing entirely. Species are currently going extinct tens to hundreds of times faster than the natural background rate.

Reflect on this: Canada’s wildfires burned over 10 million hectares only last year. We need all efforts and support to not only halt nature and ecosystem degradation, but to reverse it.

Colleagues, I invite you to join me this evening at 6 p.m. in the Senators’ Lounge to meet some of these great women leaders who aim to protect Canada’s natural ecosystems. We’ll also have a special guest appearance: Come and see Céleste, the great horned owl.

Please join me in celebrating the exceptional work of Nature Canada and the Women for Nature program. Thank you. Meegwetch.