Edmonton, AB – In the past few months, the Environmental Law Centre (ELC) has been actively involved in campaigning against amendments that could render the environmental assessment process ineffectual, needlessly exposing the environment, the Canadian public, and future generations to unknown and potentially irreversible risks by providing the Minister of Environment with discretion to reduce the scope of activities for which an assessment is conducted.
On July 8th, the Senate Finance Committee voted to delete amendments related to environmental assessments from the government’s budget bill. The Environmental Law Centre (ELC) is pleased with the Senate Finance Committee’s decision.
“The Senate Finance Committee members have taken a stand for due process.” says Laura Bowman, Staff Counsel with the ELC. “Now any proposed amendments can be subject to consultation through the House review later this year: a more open and accessible process.”
The amended budget will be subject to a further vote by the full Senate on Monday. “We hope that the Senate will respect the Finance Committee’s decision” says Laura Bowman, “Restoring the amendments would undermine the full review and put environmental groups at a serious disadvantage in seeking environmental protection for Canadians.”
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Contact: Adam Driedzic, Staff Counsel, Environmental Law Centre, 1-800-661-4238 or [email protected].