Conservation and economic development are compatible, and Canadian voters want both
Forward-thinking nations treat nature as an economic ally, not an obstacle. This is something Prime Minister Mark Carney underscored himself at the launch of Canada’s nature strategy: “When we fail to protect nature, we are not making a sound economic choice. We are making a choice that works against us.”
On this we can agree. Canada’s natural heritage is not separate from our economic development – it is essential to our identity, our dignity, our sovereignty and our future.
Yet, the government’s massive Bill C-39, introduced to Parliament last week, contradicts the Prime Minister’s own words. And it comes on the heels of a suite of government decisions and orders, driven by Domnic LeBlanc as the Minister responsible for the Major Projects Office, that is at odds with the Prime Minister’s self-declared ecological values.
Bill C-39 proposes to give individual government ministers the power to bypass critical environmental safeguards to fast-track major projects in the country. This would grant ministers unchecked power over processes designed to protect Canadians and our natural environment.
The government has offered ministers advice on how they should wield the extraordinary power that Bill C-39 would grant them in its accompanying Cabinet directive on getting projects built in Canada. However, the directive carries no legal force. Without being embedded in the legislation itself, these protections remain largely symbolic and can be changed by government.
This symbolic protection doesn’t go far enough and concentrates power in the hands of a few ministers.
In a bid to build fast, the federal government must not sell off our longstanding environmental protections, otherwise political leaders risk building a country we no longer recognize.
Polling from Nature Canada and EKOS found that while Canadians are divided on a wide range of economic and social issues, their attachment to nature remains a consistent unifier across party lines, with wilderness, oceans, national parks and rare species viewed as enduring symbols of Canada. More than 80 per cent of survey respondents said governments are duty-bound to protect species at risk.
A strong natural environment is also part of our economic competitiveness. The financial value of ecosystem services in Canada, such as peatlands, wetlands and coastal zones, is estimated to be $3.6 trillion per year, according to the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.
Meanwhile, nature-based sectors of the economy such as forestry, agriculture and fisheries generate seven per cent of our annual GDP, or around $227 billion, to say nothing of the value of clean air and clean water – things that are incalculable in their importance to human life, in addition to their cultural, spiritual and relational values.
Political accountability, integrity and environmental protection cannot be mere suggestions. These safeguards need to be embedded directly into the legislation of Bill C-39.
Weakening environmental safeguards could also hurt Canada’s trade relationships, particularly with partners whose markets increasingly require strong environmental standards and credible protections for nature. We can’t forsake our stock of forests, freshwater, healthy soils and clean air that provide vital ecosystem functions like carbon storage, water filtration and food production.
Parliamentarians must finish the work of amending C-39 to make it an Act worthy of Canada’s identity and dignity. They must ensure that the country’s natural heritage is not an afterthought characterized as “red tape” that is getting in the way of a build-fast agenda, because Canadians themselves don’t see it that way.
These policies are bad for the environment and reveal an ‘extinction agenda’ that is at odds with Canadian values. They are also bad for business. When corporations harm the environment, they risk severely damaging their reputations, incurring hefty penalties and remediation costs and creating instability and uncertainties through litigation and social dissent.
It’s time for the federal government to adopt practical solutions to speed up project approvals, without sacrificing nature protections. Bill C-39 is dangerously short-sighted and puts long-term economic advantages at risk.
Building the economy of today and tomorrow depends on a legacy of environmental responsibility that must be upheld.
The federal government’s plan to create Regions of National Interest is also still a concern, where developments in large swaths of the country could be exempted from the normal project review process. Without clear, objective environmental standards, these could be zones of environmental lawlessness.
Let’s embed sound environmental protections into our nation-building projects from the outset and meet the moment in a way that’s durable and dignified. Nature underpins our economy, and without it, we are placing our livelihoods in jeopardy.
Building Canada Strong means making nature conservation a core Canadian priority – these are not mutually exclusive forces. Conservation and economic development are compatible, and Canadian voters want both.
Photo courtesy of DepositPhotos
