Fisheries agency stalls on talks
Department fails to provide details about waterways plan
OTTAWA – The Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans has no formal plans to consult with stakeholders on new regulations or partnerships to prevent industrial pollution in the wake of a major changes to environmental protection laws adopted last summer, says newly-released internal correspondence obtained by Postmedia News recently.
Despite pledging to develop new regulations and partnerships to protect waterways when it implemented the changes to Canada’s Fisheries Act and other legislation, the department is unable to provide timelines or details of its progress six months later.
A department spokeswoman, Melanie Carkner, told Postmedia News it was continuing discussions with a “variety of stakeholders,” and that new regulations “should be published at the same time as the final amendments to the Fisheries Act come into effect.”
The latest changes to the legislation are expected to be adopted by the Senate this month, following changes from July that removed federal protection of fish habitat, shifting the focus toward protecting commercial, recreational or aboriginal fisheries.
Fisheries Minister Keith Ashfield, who is temporarily on medical leave, touted the new legislation last spring, noting that it gives the Harper government new tools to authorize industrial water pollution.
The government also indicated that it could subsequently use standards developed by industry associations to guide its efforts, provided that they meet “strict requirements” for fisheries protection.
But conservation groups are concerned about the environmental impacts of the legislation and budget cuts, noting that the government isn’t actively following through on its commitment to work with them on new partnerships.
Craig Orr, an ecologist and executive director of Watershed Watch Salmon Society, said groups have “struggled” to get information on where the legislation is going.
“The problem is they’re just putting it off and putting it off, and we just need to see something concrete for some kind of consultation on the details,” said Orr, who is also part of a Pacific region caucus consulted by the department. “The changes seem to be announced at a breakneck speed, but the public is not being engaged …”