Environmental groups, First Nations join in opposition to omnibus Bill C-45

Last spring's changes to the Environmental Assessment Act are tweaked further in this omnibus bill. Alamy/CP/Shutterstock

 
Environmental groups, First Nations join in opposition to omnibus Bill C-45 

Massive bill before Parliament further undermines Canadian democracy and environment, groups say in open letter 

Released: Nov. 21, 2012 

Several groups are standing together again today to defend Canadians against another round of cuts to key environmental laws including: 

 - An overhaul of the Navigable Waters Protection Act that would see just 97 of Canada’s approximately 32,000 major lakes protected by the stripped-down act. Major pipelines would also be exempted under the new law, meaning that the scope of impacts considered during environmental reviews will be narrower. 

- More changes to the Fisheries Act that would further dismantle this key environmental law by giving industry the option to request that their existing commitments to protect fish habitat be amended or cancelled, thereby potentially being let off the hook for promised compensation for lost or damaged habitat. 

 - New changes to the Hazardous Materials Information Review Act that would eliminate the Hazardous Materials Information Review Commission, an independent body charged with making science-based decisions to protect Canadians from toxic chemicals and hazardous materials in the workplace. 

 More info & read 'Open Letter' here