Species at Risk Act (S.C. 2002, c. 29).

The purposes of this Act are to prevent wildlife species from being extirpated or becoming extinct, to provide for the recovery of wildlife species that are extirpated, endangered or threatened as a result of human activity and to manage species of special concern to prevent them from becoming endangered or threatened. Section 14 establishes the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). The functions of the Committee are, inter alia, to: a) assess the status of each wildlife species considered to be at risk and, as part of the assessment, identify existing and potential threats to the species and, b) determine when wildlife species are to be assessed, with priority given to those more likely to become extinct; c) conduct a new assessment of the status of species at risk and, if appropriate, reclassify or declassify them; d) develop and periodically review criteria for assessing the status of wildlife species and recommend the criteria to the Minister and the Canadian Endangered Species Conservation Council; and e) provide advice to the Minister and the said Council and perform any other functions that the Minister may assign. The text consists of 142 sections and 3 Schedules.