The federal government has responded to \u201cfeedback from thousands\u201d by postponing a series of sweeping environmental rollbacks and extending the comment period for the proposed regulatory changes from June 7 to July 22.<\/p>\n
The decision derails the government\u2019s plan to table legislation as soon as the week of June 8. That was before the proposals \u201cangered First Nations and mobilized civil society organizations,\u201d CBC reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n Senior government officials were genuinely surprised by the depth and vehemence of the response, The Energy Mix has learned.<\/p>\n \u201cAmong the suite of measures were designating pre-approving development in certain \u2018federal economic zones\u2019 and giving the federal cabinet limited power to exempt projects from the \u2018jeopardy test\u2019 for species at risk,\u201d CBC writes. The Assembly of First Nations responded that the proposed changes represented \u201ca pattern of exclusion.\u201d<\/p>\n Ecojustice Executive Director Kimberly Shearon added<\/a> in a statement that, \u201cby gutting the laws that guarantee fundamental environmental protections, this government will only be fast-tracking preventable\u2014and in some cases irreversible\u2014harms to communities and ecosystems.\u201d<\/p>\n One major concern is that the proposed measures would postpone assessment of major impacts from energy and resource megaprojects from the approval stage to final permitting\u2014by which point major decisions about project design would be complete and likely deemed irreversible.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t rush development and protect nature like this\u2014if we do both poorly, both fail,\u201d said Sandra Schwartz, executive director of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society. \u201cI\u2019ve worked on the laws that protect Canadians\u2019 right to a healthy environment, and seeing them weakened while species like caribou are pushed toward extinction is deeply frustrating. Once nature is gone, we don\u2019t get it back.\u201d<\/p>\n In a media release announcing the postponement, the government said<\/a> it \u201creceived valuable feedback from thousands of stakeholders, Indigenous groups, and members of the public across the country, underscoring the importance of these issues to Canadians.\u201d<\/p>\n Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc said Canadians \u201chave demonstrated a strong interest in these proposed reforms,\u201d while acknowledging that the changes \u201chave the potential to shape how we build major projects and strengthen our economy for years to come.\u201d Extending the consultation period, he added, \u201cwill allow us to hear from even more Canadians and help us develop reforms that reflect the views and priorities of people across the country.\u201d<\/p>\n Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon added that \u201cbuilding a stronger, more connected Canadian economy requires that we listen to the people and communities it serves.\u201d<\/p>\n Government affairs specialist Alex Cool-Fergus had a more jaded interpretation on LinkedIn.<\/p>\n \u201cThe federal government just extended the consultation period on proposed deregulation to the middle of the summer, the very time Canadians are paying the least attention,\u201d she wrote<\/a>. \u201cWhy? Probably because there is an emerging realization that their proposed deregulation measures are deeply unpopular among voters, no matter partisan affiliation. Nature matters and is a core identity issue for almost all of us. Undoing essential protections that keep our natural environment and communities safe in the name of making life easier for business is politically risky.\u201d<\/p>\n With byelections coming up in the fall, the government \u201cwill need to demonstrate that they are on the little guy\u2019s side,\u201d Cool-Fergus added. \u201cThis is proof for those of us who despair about the state of climate and environmental affairs in this country that people do still care. There are lessons to be learned here.<\/p>\n A day earlier, climate, energy, and nature protection groups had converged on Parliament to urge the government to reverse course on the environmental policy rollbacks.<\/p>\n Representatives of 16 groups held a news conference to say Ottawa had gone too far in undermining environmental and climate policy, The Canadian Press reported<\/a>. Their pleas came ahead of planned meetings with Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin and senior officials in the Prime Minister\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n \u201cPrime Minister (Mark) Carney is proposing the worst evisceration of environmental law in Canadian history, ensuring that Canada is left behind in the energy transition,\u201d said Environmental Defence Canada Executive Director Tim Gray. \u201cCanadians will pay the price and the damages could last for generations.\u201d<\/p>\n Ottawa released two discussion papers last month which proposed, among other things, approving projects before they\u2019re reviewed and exempting certain projects from laws meant to protect species at risk.<\/p>\n It also proposed taking the responsibility for reviewing pipelines, transmission lines, and offshore renewable energy projects away from the federal Impact Assessment Agency and handing it to the Canada Energy Regulator.<\/p>\n