Feds leave 99 per cent of lakes, rivers unprotected
The list of broken election promises by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government is growing longer, with another one added last week. Last Tuesday, the Trudeau government tabled its response to the House Committee on Transport, Infrastructure, and Communities’ recommendations on the Navigation Protection Act (NPA), formerly the Navigable Waters Protection Act (NWPA). The Trudeau government […]
Protecting human rights requires a collaborative approach
OTTAWA—When it comes to the topic of a potential human rights ombudsperson, the Mining Association of Canada (MAC) welcomes healthy dialogue. Last week, two civil society groups, Above Ground and the Netherlands-based Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO), published op-eds in The Hill Times on the subject. Their perspectives are appreciated and point to […]
Liberal summer caucus meeting to be held in Kelowna as party looks to maintain grip on B.C.
The federal Liberals will host their annual summer caucus meetings in Kelowna this year, The Hill Times has learned, as the party looks to secure its presence in British Columbia after approval of the controversial Trans Mountain pipeline drew sharp criticism from political leaders and voters in the Lower Mainland. Liberal MPs will descend on the […]
Mining group tells government to stand at wrong end of elephant
The Mining Association of Canada is apparently concerned that the Canadian government may be ready to introduce a human rights ombudsperson for the extractive industries that is actually effective. Model legislation proposed by the Canadian Network on Corporate Accountability late last year would give such an ombudsperson the mandate to carry out independent investigations in […]
Energy East pipeline review may look at broader climate impacts
The National Energy Board’s review of TransCanada’s Energy East pipeline has had more than a few hiccups along the way. Take, for example, the revelation of secret closed-door industry meetings and the allegations of bias that led to the entire National Energy Board’s panel reviewing the project stepping down last September. In January, the newly […]
The Liberals’ climate plan? A chocolate cake diet
Let’s get the obvious out of the way: the Trudeau administration is better than the Conservatives under Stephen Harper on environmental policy. But that does not mean they get a free ride, especially when our children’s future is at stake. The climate promises of the Liberal 2015 platform were thin. For climate action, no target […]
Still waiting for action on the Liberal clean energy promise
The federal government has been vociferous in defending its legislative and policy agenda, alleging it is protecting the environment while supporting economic development. These claims, however, are being roundly discredited including by the very expert panels the government appointed to advise on its touted energy transition. Expert panels mandated to review the Canadian Environmental Assessment […]
Canada must move fast to preserve Last Ice Area
This World Oceans Day, June 8, brings into focus Canada’s often-overlooked third ocean, the one that borders our country at the top of the world. The Arctic Ocean, along with much of the North itself, has been undergoing rapid change due to the warming of the planet. Ice-dependent species are watching their habitat disappear with […]
Industry has come a long way towards reducing greenhouse gases
The International Energy Agency recently published an analysis on ways to meet the Paris agreement commitment of limiting global temperatures to below two degrees Celsius. A deep transformation of energy production and consumption needs to occur by 2050 to achieve this objective. Its analysis suggests that nearly 95 per cent of electricity would need to […]
Green advocates back creation of new assessment agency proposed by Trudeau-appointed panel
The Trudeau government must heed the recommendation of an expert panel it convened, and strip environmental assessment powers away from agencies like the National Energy Board, the country’s pipeline regulator, because it has proven itself “ill-equipped” to handle the responsibility, according to an environmental legal group. Joshua Ginsberg, director of Ecojustice Canada’s University of Ottawa environmental law clinic, […]
