Proposed changes to Canada’s environmental safeguards are “regressive” and “undemocratic”, warned sixteen green organizations today in a letter to the federal government.
And if approved, one spokesperson told the Tyee, they could result in the same types of mistakes that led to Louisiana’s oil slick disaster.
“There’s a huge scope for environmental damage,” said Josh Paterson, a lawyer with West Coast Environmental Law.
Last March, Stephen Harper’s Conservative government introduced several revisions to Canada’s Environmental Assessment Act. The Act makes sure impacts from development projects are carefully analyzed before construction begins.
New changes would give the environment minister power to reduce the scope of federal assessments, and in some cases, exempt projects altogether.
Another revision would transfer oversight of energy and pipeline projects to federal entities with less assessment experience.
The revisions were appended to a budget implementation bill, so opposition MPs couldn’t vote them down without triggering an unwanted election. They also came only months before a mandated review of the Assessment Act takes place this June.
“Any one of these changes, proposed to be made without any public or stakeholder consultation, would represent a significant setback for sustainability and environmental protection,” reads today’s letter, signed by groups such as MiningWatch Canada and the David Suzuki Foundation. “Combined together, they set environmental assessment practice back many years.”
Several signatory reps will speak to the federal Standing Committee on Finance tomorrow. They’ll attempt to convince MPs to push for legislation that removes the revisions.
It’s recently come to light that the U.S. interior department exempted BP’s Deepwater Horizon project from an environmental impact study. Now a giant oil-slick threatens to devastate the Louisiana coastline. Paterson drew parallels to Canada.
“This is what happens when you have political interference with what should be an objective process,” he said.
Geoff Dembicki reports for the Tyee.
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SharingIsGood
1 year ago
Alexandra Morton
This could make the incredible havoc caused by fish farms but a footnote in the demise of the West Coast, and the rest of Canada. With Harper and Campbell tag-teaming for international dealers in minerals and energy, we better hold onto what we can before the world is one big smack down free trade zone. And all who find but a loonie will also find themselves being required to forfeit that marker into the maw of the corporate monster for a cracker to eat or an hour's electricity. Even as I write, Harper is writing up agreements for Free Trade with Europe. China and India will be next, and we will be nothing but the world's colony for raw resources.
Harper did not campaign on European Free Trade nor these removal of environmental oversight amendments. If the opposing MPs have any character, now would be the time to see it. Now would be the perfect time for an election.
North of Hope
1 year ago
environmental analysis required
No undertaking such as mining, housing developments, highways, etc. can be done without an environmental and sustainability analysis. We must be careful not to remove too many plants or trees, as we need them to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere. Other wastes must be recycled rather than thrown into landfills or oceans. Recycling must become a major activity in our sustainable culture.