M-15 Conservation donations

That:

(a) the House recognize that,

(i) the Government of Canada has committed to conserving 30% of territory by 2030 in order to address biodiversity loss and strengthen the resilience of our ecosystems,

(ii) in the Eastern Townships, approximately 91% of the territory consists of private land, 63% is covered by forests, wetlands and waterways, and more than 130 endangered species have been identified,

(iii) the voluntary conservation of private land is a key lever for achieving this national objective,

(iv) the Ecological Gifts Program (EGP) has enabled many landowners to contribute to the protection of invaluable natural environments,

(v) recognized conservation organizations must finance their day-to-day operations and long-term stewardship costs that are generally not eligible for government programs (e.g., due diligence, legal and transaction costs, monitoring, restoration, reports, governance),

(vi) the increase in the number of projects multiplies these operating costs and creates a structural funding deficit, making philanthropic monetary donations essential to maintain and accelerate the pace of conservation,

(vii) tax parity between in-kind donations (land, easements) and monetary donations to recognized conservation organizations would ensure fairness among donors, secure operational funding, and stimulate large-scale protection of natural environments; and

(b) in the opinion of the House, the government should,

(i) recognize the importance of increasing the federal tax credit granted to financial landlords who make an ecological donation through the EGP,

(ii) recognize the importance of granting a tax credit equivalent to the monetary donations made to recognized conservation organizations to support the operating and stewardship costs of protected land,

(iii) consider amending the Income Tax Act to ensure tax fairness among the different types of conservation donations, with a view to reaching the biodiversity protection targets the government has already set.