Feds should strengthen Canadian Environmental Protection Act
Last week, more than 500 scientists and doctors sent a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau calling for urgent action on widespread exposures to toxic chemicals from consumer products. We couldn’t agree more. This letter is a confirmation that toxic pollution in Canada can no longer be ignored. Our toxics law, the Canadian Environmental Protection […]
NDP MPs walk fine line in Alberta-B.C. pipeline dispute dividing their party
As NDP governments in Alberta and British Columbia feud over Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline, NDP MPs are treading a tight line in trying to support both provincial counterparts while also vocally in favour of vote-rich B.C.’s blockage of a pipeline they say never should have been approved. The two provinces are embroiled in a […]
Trudeau should enshrine in legislation every Canadian’s right to a healthy environment
As scholars and advocates of environmental law, we write to call upon Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government to recognize, protect, and fulfill every Canadian’s right to a healthy environment. Indeed, we believe there is an urgent need for statutory, constitutional, and judicial recognition of the right to a healthy environment in Canada. A robust body […]
Please creator make them stop the desecration
PETERBOROUGH, ONT.—As many know, one of the main differences between Indigenous people and most if not all settler Canadians and our knowledge philosophies is that Indigenous people value the original dream of the creator and creator’s natural law. Another way to understand this difference is to value that Indigenous assumptions, beliefs, knowledge, teachings, and rituals […]
Senate more unpredictable, as Conservatives boycott planning meetings over ‘O Canada’ bill manoeuvring
The Conservatives’ deputy leader in the Senate is skipping daily planning meetings with her counterparts as a “consequence” of the way the controversial National Anthem Bill was passed in the Red Chamber, a move the government’s deputy in the Chamber says would make the Senate even more unpredictable. Conservative Senator Yonah Martin (B.C.) stopped attending […]
Budget 2018 could ensure just transition to the clean economy
With federal budget season just around the corner, it’s time our government put forward a plan to fulfill its promise of a “just and fair transition” to the clean economy. The good news is Canada’s transition to a zero-carbon economy will create more jobs than it destroys. But that’s little consolation to the 200,000 fossil […]
Trudeau government must stand up to U.S. to protect Yukon caribou
VANCOUVER—Yes this tale involves Donald Trump but first we need a short history lesson. The Porcupine caribou herd, ranging between 100,000 and 200,000 animals, migrate annually 2,400 km between their winter range in the boreal forests of Alaska and northwest Canada over the mountains to their calving grounds on the Beaufort Sea coastal plain. That’s the longest migration […]
Wetlands are disappearing fast, urgent action required
Canada is home to 25 per cent of the world’s wetlands, which are important for the health of Canada and the health of our planet. In Ontario, we see proof all around us. From Lake Superior and the Great Lakes, to Lake Nipissing, these are crucial ecosystems for plants and animals, and great recreation spots. […]
McKenna in spotlight as major environment reforms expected in February
Environment groups say 2018 presents a turning point for environment, with the opportunity for a “major spend” on protected areas to meet international targets and for government to get it right on the environmental assessment overhaul. Environment Minister Catherine McKenna (Ottawa Centre, Ont.), her staff and her department are consistently among the top lobbied, for […]
Blanket claims cloud conversation on meat taxes: Cattlemen’s Association
There has been a lot of rhetoric in the media recently about meat taxes with the inference that eating less meat will reduce ones’ carbon footprint. Unfortunately, balance and context are often absent from this complex discussion, particularly around the Canadian agricultural environment, which is unique in the world. For example, cattle grazing supports the […]
