25 October 2007
Nipigon, Ontario

Thank you everyone for joining us here in Nipigon, Northern Ontario, to hear about an important initiative on environmental protection for Lake Superior and the North Shore.

Greetings to Thunder Bay-Superior North MPP and Government Caucus Chair Michael Gravelle, to Grand Chief King, and to Pat Koval, Chairwoman of the World Wildlife Fund (Canada) Board of Directors.

I'd also like to especially acknowledge Thunder Bay-Superior North MP Joe Comuzzi, without whose hard work, today's announcement would not have become a reality. 

In last week's Speech from the Throne, our government put forward a real plan, called Strong leadership. A better Canada. 

Our plan is based on five core priorities. We are committed to:

• Asserting our sovereignty and reviving Canada's influence in the world.
• Strengthening our federation and working with the provinces and territories to get things done for Canadians.
• Building on our strong economy to ensure low taxes and good jobs for working people and their families now and over the long term.
• Tackling serious and violent crime and enhancing public security.
• And last but certainly not least, protecting our environment and – by extension – the health of Canadians.

It is this priority which brings us together today.

Canada is blessed with abundant natural beauty from coast to coast to coast, and Lake Superior's magnificent North Shore is no exception.

It's a spectacular landscape of dramatic cliffs, underwater caves, sand spits and raised beaches.

The whole area teems with all manner of animal, bird, marine and plant life. 

I'm told that bald eagles and peregrine falcons nest on islands along the coast; that large lake and brook trout populations spawn in the shoals; and that wolves and caribou roam the shores. 

Then there are the archaeological riches: the ancient rock paintings and the mysterious “Pukaskwa Pits” built thousands of years ago by the ancestors of the Ojibwa. 

And offshore, the secrets of shipwrecks like the famous Edmund Fitzgerald are hidden deep beneath Superior's surface. 

With so many natural and man-made treasures, it is little wonder that so many people are drawn here from across Canada and around the world. 

This brings me to the reason we are here today.

Everyone agrees we need to preserve our natural environment and our government is taking action to preserve and protect Canada's environment, including Lake Superior's north shore, for future generations of Canadians to enjoy.

Which is why I am pleased to announce that the Government of Canada is joining with the Government of Ontario to establish the Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area. 

The proposed boundaries extend from Thunder Cape at the tip of Sleeping Giant Provincial Park in the west, to Bottle Point just east of Terrace Bay, and south to the Canada-U.S. boundary in the middle of the lake.

Included are the waters of Black Bay and Nipigon Bay, plus more than ten thousand square kilometres of lakebed, overlying waters, islands, shoals and shore lands.

It will be the world's largest protected freshwater marine area.

National marine conservation areas are part of Parks Canada's growing number of national heritage sites. 

This designation not only protects the natural ecology of a region, it also creates opportunities for visitors to experience these exceptional places and meet the Canadians who call them home. 

National marine conservation areas balance environmental protection with responsible economic activity.

They protect key elements of the ecosystem while preserving the livelihoods of local residents who work in marine industries such as commercial fishing, sport fishing and shipping.

Dumping, mining, oil and gas exploration and extraction are prohibited throughout these areas.

The creation of this area will be of benefit to the local economy too, through a boost in tourism and more jobs.

Also today, I am pleased to announce a related agreement with the Northern Superior First Nations.

This agreement will allow us to work together to develop an effective plan for protecting and interpreting the Aboriginal cultural heritage of the area. 

This is an outstanding example of Federal, Provincial and First Nations cooperation. 

It's also a testament to over ten years of effective teamwork by local Parks Canada staff, municipal officials, commercial fishing interests, recreational boaters and others.

And it's the culmination of a dream that has enjoyed tremendous support from His Royal Highness, The Duke of Edinburgh; and from former Prime Minister John Turner, both acting for the World Wildlife Fund, and from Sault Ste. Marie's own Roberta Bondar, who is one of Ontario's Champions of the Great Lakes Heritage Coasts.

Today's announcement demonstrates just how much can be accomplished when talented and dedicated people and organizations pull together in pursuit of a worthy common goal.

And there is no goal more worthy that the protection and preservation of Canada's natural environment. 

Thank you once again to everyone who contributed to the creation of the Lake Superior Marine Conservation Area.

You have ensured that the ecological and cultural treasures of the greatest of our Great Lakes and her north shore will be preserved for all of us to enjoy today, and for our children and our grandchildren to enjoy tomorrow.

Thank you very much.