The Greenbelt that surrounds Ottawa cannot be privatized.

Properties included in the landscape are:Wesley Clover Park; Commissioners Park at Preston and Carling Avenue; the Greenbelt Research farm that is bordered by Fallowfield, Hunt Club, Woodroffe and Greenbank Road;Mer Bleue; more...

Letter to Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson from CPAWS regarding encroachment on Mer Bleue:  The Mer Bleue Conservation Area is protected by the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat. The Canadian government signed the Ramsar Treaty on May 15, 1981.

Federal politicians who saved the Greenbelt: MP Marcel Proulx; MP Marlene Catterall; Environment Minister Jim Prentice; Environment Minister John Baird; MP Beryl Gaffney; the Hon.Walter Baker; the Hon. Mauril Belanger; MP Don Boudria; MP Royal Galipeau; the Hon. Gordon O'Connor; the Hon. Jean-Robert Gauthier; MP Steven Blaney.

House of Commons Ottawa September 16, 2009. Hon. Mauril Belanger (Ottawa-Vanier, Liberal) "Bill C-37, which is before us now, talks about protecting the ecological integrity of Gatineau Park. That is clearly what it says. Nothing is said at all about protecting the ecological integrity of the greenbelt..."

Hon. Gordon O'Connor, Conservative: "...With respect to the greenbelt in my own riding and the greenbelt itself, the NCC has the mandate to maintain that greenbelt. I believe it is part of our heritage and it must last as long in the future as possible...."

MP Pierre Lemieux (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture, CPC) "...The NCC is the largest federal land owner in the National Capital Region. It owns 470 square kilometres of land including Gatineau Park, the greenbelt, 2,100 acres of land in the urban area, 40 kilometres of parkways, 170 kilometres of recreational pathways and 1,300 buildings, 63 of them being heritage propertoes. The NCC also owns and operates six official residences in this region."

"Given the important mandate of the NCC to plan the development of the capital region and maintain the assets under its custody, Parliament decided many years ago that the NCC should be subject to more oversight with respect to its real estate transactions. This Bill (Bill C-37) introduces a definition of  "National Interest Land Mass" and requires regulations governing the relevant criteria and process."

Hon. Mauril Belanger (Ottawa-Vanier, Liberal.) "Mr. Speaker, I will ask the member for Glengarry-Prescott-Russell the same question I asked the member for Carleton-Mississippi Mills. Would he support an amendment that would address the concerns of many citizens vis-a-vis the greenbelt?"

MP Steven Blaney (Levis-Bellchasse, CPC) "...The greenbelt brings together several pieces of land along the Ottawa River on the Ontario side. It covers nearly 20,000 hectares of green space including farms, forests and wetlands...The Mer Bleue Conservation Area is located east of Ottawa. A boardwalk protects the acidic water and the bog that shelters unusual species and other plants. In 1995, the area was designated a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention, a treaty for the conservation and wise use of wetlands. Other properties found in the Greenbelt are Commissioners Park where there is a display of over 100,000 tulips each spring, and Bate Island on the Ottawa River.

House of Commons Ottawa June 23, 1992. Mrs. Beryl Gaffney (Nepean) Liberal. "Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Minister of Public Works...Recent actions by the National Capital Commission have Nepean and other area municipalities concerned that there is a movement away from the original objectives for these lands. Does the government plan on maintaining the status quo on all greenbelt lands or are these lands in fact up for sale piece by piece."