OTTAWA — A former Progressive Conservative fisheries minister urged the Harper government Friday to reject private sector appeals, which are particularly loud in Western Canada, to water down the federal Fisheries Act.
Tom Siddon, who introduced the policy in 1986 under then-prime minister Brian Mulroney, said there's "no justifiable excuse" for removing provisions ensuring the protection of fisheries habitat.
The government, according to information leaked to retired federal fisheries biologist Otto Langer earlier this week, plans to drop any references to habitat.
The proposed new wording would prohibit activity that would cause an "adverse effect" on "fish of economic, cultural or ecological value."
The government is responding to complaints from groups such as the Mining Association of Canada, which says $140 billion in potential mining projects are being stalled due to "nonsensical" decisions involving the Fisheries Act.
But Siddon, fisheries minister from 1985 to 1990, urged Prime Minister Stephen Harper to resist the pressure.
"The prime minister and some senior cabinet ministers might be well-meaning in trying to move in this direction, but they're misinformed if they think the weight and pressure of industry inconvenience should supersede the importance of the indelible values of our environment," said Siddon, who lives near Penticton, B.C.
Siddon said the wording would turn fish into a commodity and overlook the importance of the broader ecosystem that, for instance, allows British Columbia's famous salmon resource to thrive.
"It's like saying as long as we have a happy lifestyle and can go to the rec centre and keep fit, it doesn't matter what the air is like that we breath or the water that we drink," Siddon said.
"If we want to preserve and protect our fish stocks, it's more than a commercial equation."
Siddon also suggested there could be political repercussions in B.C. for the Conservatives, who are waging a verbal war against opponents of the Northern Gateway oilsands pipeline to the West Coast.
The Tories took 21 of 36 seats in the 2011 election in B.C.
"I have no doubt that if people don't do things the right way it will have political consequences."
Siddon said he's trying to arrange a meeting with Fisheries Minister Keith Ashfield, who didn't deny the reports and cited examples to demonstrate why the Fisheries Act is problematic.
Harper may have already taken a political hit in B.C. due to factors that predate this week's reports about fisheries legislation.
A poll by Justason Market Intelligence of 611 British Columbians between Feb. 24 and March 7, which asked respondents how they'd vote in a federal election, had the NDP in the lead at 40 per cent.
The Conservatives were next at 30 per cent, followed by the Liberals at 20 per cent and the Green party at eight per cent.
That represents a significant shift from public attitudes expressed in the 2011 election, when Harper's Tories took 46 per cent of the vote compared to 33 per cent for the NDP, just 13 per cent for the Liberals and eight per cent for the Greens.
The poll is considered to be an accurate reflection of public opinion to within four percentage points 19 times out of 20.
Pollster Barb Justason said the Tories are likely suffering the effects of the robocall controversy, anger over the government's Protecting Children from Internet Predators Act and ongoing concern over the government's stand on Enbridge's Northern Gateway pipeline project.
Pierre Gratton, president of the Ottawa-based Mining Association of Canada, said industry doesn't object to efforts to protect habitat that sustain important fisheries.
But he said recent court decisions have resulted in "nonsensical" decisions.
One Yukon mining project was temporarily blocked because it affected a "former stream" that had the potential, according to a fisheries officer, to become a fish-bearing stream again, Gratton said.
"We'd like to see some common sense," Gratton said, adding legislation may be necessary because of the impact on the court decisions interpreting the current legislation.
Some Alberta and B.C. firms and associations have registered to lobby on the Fisheries Act, including the Business Council of B.C., the Council of Forest Industries and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers.
Original Article
Source: canada.com
Author: Peter O'Neil
Tom Siddon, who introduced the policy in 1986 under then-prime minister Brian Mulroney, said there's "no justifiable excuse" for removing provisions ensuring the protection of fisheries habitat.
The government, according to information leaked to retired federal fisheries biologist Otto Langer earlier this week, plans to drop any references to habitat.
The proposed new wording would prohibit activity that would cause an "adverse effect" on "fish of economic, cultural or ecological value."
The government is responding to complaints from groups such as the Mining Association of Canada, which says $140 billion in potential mining projects are being stalled due to "nonsensical" decisions involving the Fisheries Act.
But Siddon, fisheries minister from 1985 to 1990, urged Prime Minister Stephen Harper to resist the pressure.
"The prime minister and some senior cabinet ministers might be well-meaning in trying to move in this direction, but they're misinformed if they think the weight and pressure of industry inconvenience should supersede the importance of the indelible values of our environment," said Siddon, who lives near Penticton, B.C.
Siddon said the wording would turn fish into a commodity and overlook the importance of the broader ecosystem that, for instance, allows British Columbia's famous salmon resource to thrive.
"It's like saying as long as we have a happy lifestyle and can go to the rec centre and keep fit, it doesn't matter what the air is like that we breath or the water that we drink," Siddon said.
"If we want to preserve and protect our fish stocks, it's more than a commercial equation."
Siddon also suggested there could be political repercussions in B.C. for the Conservatives, who are waging a verbal war against opponents of the Northern Gateway oilsands pipeline to the West Coast.
The Tories took 21 of 36 seats in the 2011 election in B.C.
"I have no doubt that if people don't do things the right way it will have political consequences."
Siddon said he's trying to arrange a meeting with Fisheries Minister Keith Ashfield, who didn't deny the reports and cited examples to demonstrate why the Fisheries Act is problematic.
Harper may have already taken a political hit in B.C. due to factors that predate this week's reports about fisheries legislation.
A poll by Justason Market Intelligence of 611 British Columbians between Feb. 24 and March 7, which asked respondents how they'd vote in a federal election, had the NDP in the lead at 40 per cent.
The Conservatives were next at 30 per cent, followed by the Liberals at 20 per cent and the Green party at eight per cent.
That represents a significant shift from public attitudes expressed in the 2011 election, when Harper's Tories took 46 per cent of the vote compared to 33 per cent for the NDP, just 13 per cent for the Liberals and eight per cent for the Greens.
The poll is considered to be an accurate reflection of public opinion to within four percentage points 19 times out of 20.
Pollster Barb Justason said the Tories are likely suffering the effects of the robocall controversy, anger over the government's Protecting Children from Internet Predators Act and ongoing concern over the government's stand on Enbridge's Northern Gateway pipeline project.
Pierre Gratton, president of the Ottawa-based Mining Association of Canada, said industry doesn't object to efforts to protect habitat that sustain important fisheries.
But he said recent court decisions have resulted in "nonsensical" decisions.
One Yukon mining project was temporarily blocked because it affected a "former stream" that had the potential, according to a fisheries officer, to become a fish-bearing stream again, Gratton said.
"We'd like to see some common sense," Gratton said, adding legislation may be necessary because of the impact on the court decisions interpreting the current legislation.
Some Alberta and B.C. firms and associations have registered to lobby on the Fisheries Act, including the Business Council of B.C., the Council of Forest Industries and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers.
Original Article
Source: canada.com
Author: Peter O'Neil
No comments:
Post a Comment