The environmental issues were highlighted in a background web page explaining the role of the Navigable Waters Protection Act and the government’s commitment to consulting Canadians to review its effectiveness.
The page previously explained how the legislation, first adopted in 1882, triggered federal environmental reviews of projects that threatened to disrupt bodies of water.
It also explained that recently adopted provisions to allow for fines of up to $50,000 per day, under the law, were part of the federal government’s efforts to crack down on environmental damage.
“These stiff new penalties reflect the government’s ongoing concern towards maintaining the safety of public navigation and the environment,” said a portion of the website that was removed this week.
The changes were quietly made after NDP deputy leader and environment critic Megan Leslie challenged Transport Minister Denis Lebel about his plans to overhaul the law, replacing its requirement to replace water with a requirement to protect navigation.
Lebel has defended the changes, proposed in the latest 400-page budget implementation legislation, that would rename the law and eliminate protection for thousands of lakes and rivers, by focusing on a small list that includes the three oceans, 97 lakes and 62 rivers.
“Changing the words ‘navigable waters’ to ‘navigation’ does not change the essence of this act,” Lebel said on Tuesday in the House of Commons. “That is about navigation, and that is what we will continue to do.”
Leslie said the minister’s web site contradicted his arguments.
“The Navigable Waters Protection Act FAQ (frequently asked questions page) alone mentions the environment 23 times,” Leslie said. “According to the department, the Navigable Waters Protection Act is about protecting the environment. Why is the minister so confused about his portfolio?”
Forty-eight hours later, the web page in question was replaced with new lines that removed references to the environment and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act.
Transport Canada also removed references to consulting Canadians about any proposed changes after previous amendments from 2009 exempted “minor works” from being covered under the existing law.
“Transport Canada is committed to the five-year review clause under the amended Act,” said the department on a section of the website that was subsequently deleted.
“Stakeholders will be able to provide input through this review process and will have the opportunity to work with the department on any issues and challenges related to the implementation of the amendments. This includes the potential development of future regulations.”
The department also appears to have deleted lines from its website that suggested “future opportunities for consultation” could be included during the development process for regulations.
Here’s what the website looked like before and after Leslie asked Lebel about the legislation in the House of Commons.
A spokeswoman for Transport Canada explained that the changes reflect legislation adopted last summer when the government scrapped the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, replacing it with a new law.
“These changes to environmental legislation should have been reflected on the FAQ page, but they were not,” said Maryse Durette. “The information has been corrected.”
She also said that Transport Canada regularly “updates” its website, explaining that it has about 45,000 pages that get changed about 9,600 times per year.
Original Article
Source: canada.com
Author: Mike De Souza
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