Yukon MP Ryan Leef was in Whitehorse this morning to highlight the Conservative government's recently announced National Conservation Plan.

"At its heart, the plan is about bringing Canadians together to protect this land that we all love,” said Leef, speaking to media in the lobby of the Elijah Smith Building.

"It encourages Canadians from all sectors and regions to get involved in environmental conservation efforts, and to collaborate on creative approaches that achieve tangible environmental, economic, and social benefits.”

The plan includes $252 million in funding over five years focused on three priority areas: conserving Canada's lands and waters, restoring Canada's ecosystems, and connecting Canadians to nature.

Progress will be measured against a set of outcomes related to land and ocean conservation, restoration of lands and shorelines, opportunities for Canadians to experience nature, and access to improved information about Canada's natural environment.

Between 2014 and 2019, the Nature Conservancy of Canada will receive $100 million to secure ecologically sensitive lands.

Other allocations:

• $37 million to strengthening marine and coastal conservation;

• $3.2 million to support the development of a complete national inventory of Canadian conservation areas;

• $50 million to restore wetlands;

• $50 million to support voluntary actions to restore and conserve species and their habitats;

• $9.2 million to connect urban Canadians to nature;

• $3 million over three years to Earth Rangers to expand family-oriented conservation programming.

Leef noted there will be some outstanding questions regarding which programs and organizations receive funding as different funding portals are developed and further consultation is conducted.

He did say funding will be awarded to community groups and other organizations through a merit-based approach.

Some of the plan's goals appear to mimic the mandate of Parks Canada, which has seen extensive budget cuts in recent years.

But Leef noted there have been recent investments in the department to ensure Canada's parks have updated infrastructure and that they are clean, safe, and welcoming environments for visitors.

"Parks Canada's mandate is connected to and exclusive to the national park network in our country and we have a responsibility to make sure that the areas of nature that Canadians can enjoy don't just include national parks and national marine protected areas but all natural and wild spaces in our country,” he noted.

The conservation plan is designed to complement existing legislation such as the Species at Risk Act and ocean and marine protected areas legislation, but it won't have any effect on environmental protection legislation at the provincial, territorial, or federal levels.

"We've obviously made investments in the regulatory oversight of projects which is slightly different than the conservation plan itself but does have some linking factors,” said Leef, highlighting the government's decision to prevent the development of B.C.'s New Prosperity Mine due to environmental concerns.

"There has been a lot made of the one-time, one-review project, but when you look at our track record ... we've demonstrated nothing but care and concern for the environment when it comes to environmental reviews and the need for responsible resource development,” he said.

"The discussion around resource development and protection for the environment's natural areas is not an either/or discussion; we can do both in this country and we can do both very effectively,” said Leef.