Canada moves one step closer to protecting its fishing communities
In late June, just before its summer recess, the House marked a pivotal moment in the history of Canada’s fisheries by forwarding legislation to the Senate to amend the Fisheries Act. Unbeknown to most, the House vote was the culmination of two decades of relentless advocacy to have Parliament adopt legislation to protect independent, owner-operator […]
Support innovation in remote regions to build on Canada’s strengths
Since 2016, the government has taken essential and reassuring steps that demonstrate its commitment to transforming Canada into an innovative society. By unmuzzling federal scientists and establishing the chief science adviser of Canada’s office, the government sent a clear signal: science must be a pillar of federal government decision-making. The 2018 budget subsequently implemented the […]
Amid strained relations with U.S., Ontario, Trudeau debuts bigger cabinet with fresh faces, new posts
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau unveiled on Wednesday a larger cabinet, shuffling familiar faces to new posts and creating fresh portfolios, in a bid to emphasize his government’s push to diversify international trade in the face of Washington’s protectionist policies and to brace his party for the 2019 election. In a morning ceremony inside Rideau Hall’s […]
Ministers meeting could mark Canada’s return to conservation leadership
When Canada’s ministers responsible for conservation, wildlife, and biodiversity meet in Ottawa on Thursday to hash out a national strategy on protected areas and conservation, the gathering could mark another step towards this country’s return as a global conservation leader. Canadians discouraged by years of Canada’s relative conservation neglect may want to take heart. The meeting […]
We need to do more conservation, and we need to do it faster
Canada has been losing and saving species for a long time. Since European settlement, more than 100 species have been lost here. These include plants and animals that are extinct and extirpated, and species that are considered historic, which means no one has seen them in Canada for a long time. The number of lost […]
Recycling won’t cut it: a roadmap for a plastic-free Canada
Concerns over plastic pollution have never been more prevalent in public discourse. We have more evidence than ever about the abundance of plastics in our environment and their effects on communities and wildlife. Birds are getting trapped in plastic bags, straws are choking sea turtles, and coastal communities are seeing endless amounts of plastic waste […]
Oil and gas companies in limbo await decision on Arctic offshore drilling licences
Energy companies with active licences to explore Arctic waters for oil and gas expect an announcement from Ottawa by July that could spell the fate of their future in the North, after a year of consultations with licence holders were held following a December 2016 decision to freeze drilling in Arctic waters for five years […]
Research and technology won’t feed starving southern resident orcas
More funding was announced by Fisheries and Oceans Minister Dominic LeBlanc on March 15 for initiatives to protect southern resident killer whales, the iconic orcas off the southern coast of British Columbia that are slowly starving to death. While funding for technology and research is important, a cash infusion alone won’t feed the 76 orcas […]
National action urgently needed to save sharks from shark finning
Shark finning is the brutal and ecologically devastating practice of cutting fins off a shark and throwing the animal back into the ocean to die slowly. Canada prohibits this practice but continues to import products of shark finning. In fact, Canada is the largest importer of shark fins outside Asia. Sharks are integral to the […]
Strong, integrated, modern transportation system ‘fundamental’ to Canada’s future prosperity: Garneau
Transport Minister Marc Garneau has some heavy lifting to do with a few signature pieces for the Trudeau government’s environmental agenda. Most notably, Mr. Garneau’s (Notre-Dame-de-Grâce-Westmount, Que.) department is responsible for taking the lead on legislation barring crude oil tankers from traversing British Columbia’s ecologically sensitive North Coast, working with provincial and territorial governments to […]
