NEWS: Future for Environmental Assessments?

July 2010
Resource Conservation Manitoba

The Federal budget implementation bill, C-9, received royal assent July 12.  This bill
contained several provisions critics warned had little to do with the budget but that
were aimed at eliminating environmental assessments and limiting public consultation
on several classes of industrial or public works projects.  Bloc Quebecois and NDP
MPs voted against the Conservatives on the bill, but enough Liberals stayed away
from votes in both the House of Commons and in the Senate to ensure its passage.  
 
Resource Conservation Manitoba has been an active participant in the fight to save
environmental assessments in Canada. Now that the budget bill has passed into law,
environmentalists are turning their attention to the seven year review of the Canadian
Environmental Assessment Act.  This mandated review of how Environmental
Assessments are conducted could provide an opportunity to reverse some of the cuts
to the program introduced by the Conservatives over the past two years.  On the other hand, the review may allow the Conservatives to solidify their changes.  Either way, the debate over Canada’s environmental laws will continue to heat up this year. 

 
Learn more about saving Canada's Environmental Laws