Environmental protection review sparks Commons row
Opposition sees ‘modernized’ process as favouring early approval of big projects
OTTAWA – Conservative and opposition MPS crossed swords Tuesday over recommendations to “modernize” environmental assessments in Canada that could speed up approvals of projects, while weakening reviews of potential impacts.
The controversial recommendations were introduced Tuesday in the House of Commons by a committee that is reviewing the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act.
Michelle Rempel, a Calgary-based Conservative MP, explained that the 20 recommendations in the report could help the country avoid losing economic opportunities to lengthy reviews that need to be more “efficient” and “effective.”
But she was unable to say exactly how proposed changes would have impacted a recent case in which a feder- al review rejected a proposal to turn a fishing lake into a dumping ground for a new mine after the project was approved by the provincial government in B.C.
“I think it’s important to note that the committee’s report provides recommendations to the government to explore and where there are opportunities to leverage provincial processes that are working, we should examine those,” said Rempel, the lead Conservative MP on the committee and parliamentary secretary to Environment Minister Peter Kent. “This is something for the government to respond to and I look forward to receiving that re- sponse and reviewing it.”
NDP environment critic Megan Leslie described the report as a work of “fiction” that avoided credible testimony during hearings and instead quoted from statements made by Conservative MPS who want to “gut” environmental protection legislation in Canada. She also noted that Conservative MPS on the committee shut down the review after only nine days of hearings.
Green party leader Elizabeth May said the government’s real goal is to allow projects to be approved without an adequate evaluation of impacts, noting she was among many witnesses who were not allowed to testify at the hearings.
“I’ve worked on environmental assessments since 1976,” said May, who represents the B.C. riding of Saanich-gulf Islands. “I wanted to say a few things in response to some of the prevailing themes that I heard from Conservative MPS about this act ... What they really want is to kill the environmental assessment act, but they dare not say it out loud. This is death by 1,000 cuts.”
The recommendations from the report also coincide with new calls from a coalition of industry, First Nations and environmental groups who say that a major pipeline project – proposed by Alberta-based Enbridge to link the oilsands sector with the northwest coast of British Columbia – could cause permanent damage to ecosystems, species at risk, as well as thousands of jobs in tourism and fisheries.
“My communities have spoken and we will stop these pipelines and tankers from crossing the rivers and fishbearing streams in our territories,” said Chief Jackie Thomas of B.C.’S Saik’uz First Nation. “We will stop the Harper government and the oil companies from violating our human rights and our rights as indigenous peoples and you can mark my words.”