"Canada is willfully ignoring the deep trouble that polar bears are already in and the likely extinction they face without rapid cuts in greenhouse emissions. Time is running out for the world's polar bears. They deserve real protection," said Kassie Siegel, director of the CBD's Climate Law Institute

Siegel was instrumental in a winning a ruling to have polar bears listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act June 2011. Her attention has now turned to Canada.

Canada's polar bear population makes up about 60% of the world's total population of 20,000 to 25,000 individuals.

Canada completed its long-overdue assessment of the status of polar bears under SARA November 2011. Instead of listing the imperiled bears as "threatened" or "endangered," the government designated the bears as a "species of special concern," which affords no substantive protections.

"Had Canada fully complied with SARA, the polar bear would have been listed as endangered two and a half years ago, and the species would be protected by a recovery strategy and have identified critical habitat by now," claims CBD.

The CEC Secretariat is reviewing the submission to determine whether it meets the criteria for submissions set out in Article 14 of the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC). Upon instruction from the CEC Council, the CEC Secretariat may examine a submission further and develop a factual record.