Protect nature in major projects

AI summary

Petitioners ask the Government of Canada to uphold its biodiversity commitments and to strengthen — not weaken — protections for species at risk, fish habitat, migratory birds and other ecological values. They cite government data (as summarized by petitioners) about declines in nature and say a recent Major Projects Discussion Paper would allow Cabinet to bypass the Species at Risk Act’s “jeopardy” provision, permit disposal at sea and habitat destruction, authorize some approvals before impact assessments, and impose a one‑year decision deadline; they request transparent analysis of consequences, flexibility to take longer than one year when needed, and full, informed consultations with Indigenous Peoples and affected communities.

AI summaries describe petitioners’ requests and claims. Consult the official record for the full text.

Official petition

PETITION TO THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA WHEREAS: Canada's forests, waters, prairies, biodiversity, and all natural resources are under shared stewardship by and for Canadians, Indigenous peoples, and future generations. Canada has agreed to maintain, enhance, or restore the integrity, connectivity and resilience of all ecosystems and to increase abundance of native species to healthy levels by 2050 and to reduce the negative impact of pollution from all sources by 2030 (Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework). The state of nature in Canada continues to degrade. According to government data, when recently reassessed: 79% of species at risk are at the same or higher level of risk, 61% of the populations for species at risk show no or mixed evidence of progress toward objectives set by the government, and 25% of fish stocks with known status are in the "Critical Zone" subject to serious harm. The recent Discussion Paper for Major Projects proposes changes that would circumvent environmental legislation and regulations built to protect our lands, water, species, and natural resources, by: (1) granting authority to Cabinet to approve a project even if it would drive a species to extinction, by exempting the project from the Species at Risk Act's ‘jeopardy clause'; (2) permitting "disposal at sea", destruction of fish habitat, and adjusting environmental conditions "as needed" in a "more flexible" fashion; (3) allowing project approval and initial construction, in some cases, before impacts are assessed; and (4) imposing a fixed time of one year for considering a project prior to a decision, regardless of the extent of time and information necessary to conduct a fulsome evaluation. THEREFORE: We, the undersigned, a group of Canadian citizens and residents who are concerned about protecting nature in Canada, respectfully call upon of the Government of Canada to: 1. Ensure that any Major Projects legislation, regulations, and policy reforms fully uphold Canada's biodiversity commitments and strengthen, not weaken, the protections in place for species at risk, fish habitat, migratory birds, and other ecological values. 2. Provide a clear and transparent analysis of the consequences of adjusting the impact assessment and environmental conditions for projects and how negative impacts on the environment will be mitigated. 3. Continue to evaluate all substantive risks and harms to the environment of Major Projects, even if the evaluation takes longer than the proposed one-year time period, allowing construction only after harms have been minimized or mitigated and all impact assessments and permits have been completed. 4. Ensure that consultations with Indigenous Peoples and affected communities are held with full access to all relevant information, including information contained in the permit applications and impact assessments, and with sufficient time for full consultation.

Government response

No government response is available yet.