Alex Atamanenko, MP for BC Southern Interior is strongly opposed to the sweeping changes to the Navigable Waters Protection Act (NWPA) that were buried deep in the Conservative’s Budget Implementation Bill C-10 which passed into law on March 12.
The NWPA amendments were buried in the Budget Bill as part of the fiscal stimulus package as pretexts to expediting the start of shovel ready projects and as such they have largely escaped public scrutiny.
During the debate on C-10 New Democrats proposed changes to the Bill which would have saved the NWPA. However, with the help of the Liberals the Conservatives were able to ram this legislation through.
The BC government has asked that the existing Act be repealed and replaced by legislation that reduces regulatory barriers to fast-tracking infrastructure projects. “In B.C. there are a number of rivers and streams being considered for small hydro projects”, noted Atamanenko. “Because of the NWPA Amendments these run-of-river projects may escape proper scrutiny which could have an impact on countless fish-bearing streams”.
Environmental triggers within the NWPA that would have ensured the undertaking of a proper assessment prior to starting a construction project over or next to one of Canada’s waterways, have been replaced by the unilateral authority of the Transport Minister to grant approval for works, without any Parliamentary review or public disclosure.
“We now have a situation where the Federal government is making it easier for the Campbell government to push through the independent power projects (IPP’s)”, stated the NDP MP. “This is the next step in the privatization of our water resources which must not be allowed to happen.”
According to Atamanenko, it is not right that the Minister of Transport should have the sole authority to exempt whole classes of waterways and works from the environmental process. “My NDP colleagues and I will continue to fight alongside concerned citizens and organizations to ensure that navigation and environmental rights are not abandoned in the name of expediency,” concluded the BC Southern Interior MP.
Tags: Navigable Waters