III Prevention of Rivers in 
     
     their Natural State 
     
    
   
   
    
     At the 'Wild Rivers 
     
     Seminar' convened by the Minister 
     
     of Indian and Northern Affairs in 
     
     September 1978 it was recommended 
     
     that high priority be given to 
     
     preservation of rivers in their 
     
     natural state and to the establish- 
     
     ment of a national system of 
     
     heritage rivers. To date there 
     
     is no clear evidence of sub- 
     
     stantial progress in this 
     
     direction. 
     
    
   
   
    
     BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED 
     
     that the Canadian Nature 
     
     Federation urges the 
     
     federal, provincial and 
     
     territorial governments 
     
    

    
     to proceed expeditiously 
     
     to develop and implement 
     
    

    
     a Canadian heritage rivers 
     
     system. 
     
    
   
   
    
     IV Bowhead Whale Research 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     The bowhead whale, now 
     
     classified as 'endangered' in 
     
     Canada, has undergone drastic 
     
     population declines in both 
     
     the western and eastern 
     
     Canadian Arctic. Although 
     
     extensive information will be 
     
     needed by the federal govern— 
     
     ment to adequately judge 
     
     future northern environmental 
     
     impact assessments, funding 
     
     and staff cuts over the past 
     
     several years have drastically 
     
     reduced its capability of 
     
     conducting northern biological 
     
     research. 
     
    
   
   
    
     BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED 
     
    

    
     that the Canadian Nature 
     
    

    
     Federation urges the 
     
    

    
     Government of Canada 
     
    

    
     a) to initiate studies 
     
     of bowhead whale 
     
     biology and behaviour 
     
     needed to adequately 
     
     assess the expected 
     
     impacts of industrial 
     
    
   
   
    
     activity on this 
     
     endangered species; 
     
     and 
     
    

    
     b) to increase its research 
     
     capability for northern 
     
     biological studies. 
     
    
   
   
    
     V Commercial Whaling 
     
    
   
   
    
     w 
     
    
   
   
    
     The Canadian govenment's 
     
     advisory Committee on Whales 
     
     and Whaling, as well as the 
     
     international scientific 
     
     community, have called for 
     
     a moratorium on commercial 
     
     whaling. However, at the 
     
     32nd meeting of the 
     
     International Whaling 
     
     Commission (IWC) in 1980 
     
     Canada not only opposed a 
     
     moratorium but case the 
     
     deciding vote in favour of 
     
     the continued killing of 
     
     sperm whales. 
     
    
   
   
    
     BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED 
     
     that the Canadian Nature 
     
     Federation expresses its 
     
     strong displeasure to the 
     
     federal government at 
     
     Canad'a stand at the 
     
     recent IWC meeting and 
     
     urges the federal 
     
     Minister of Fisheries 
     
     and Oceans 
     
     a) to request that a 
     
     vote on a moratorium 
     
     on commercial whaling 
     
     be placed on the 
     
     agenda of the 33rd 
     
     Annual Meeting of the 
     
     IWC; and 
     
     b) to instruct his 
     
     delegation to vote in 
     
     favour of this 
     
     moratorium. 
     
    
   
   
    
     VI Grassland National Park 
     
    
   
   
    
     To date the proposed 
     
     Brassland National Park has 
     
     public support, conditional 
     
     approval from the Saskatchewan 
     
     government and an indication 
     
     from the federal cabinet to 
     
     complete negotiations with 
     
     Saskatchewan.