The government’s three-year attempt to enact endangered species legislation has itself become an endangered species as the government runs out of time to push it through.
Last week, environment minister Sergio Marchi suggested the bill may be lost if the prime minister calls a June election.
As with the Canadian Wheat Board reform bill, the government may not have enough time to push the controversial endangered species bill through the House of Commons and Senate.
The legislation is mired in proposed opposition amendments and is drawing fire from rural and resource areas and some Liberal MPs.
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Marchi speculated there simply may not be enough time to get the bill through Parliament by the end of April, when it would close down if an election is called for early June.
All legislation not approved when Parliament is ended will die.
“If it’s in June, I think everyone knows it’s going to be a tight fit.”
The news brought mixed reactions from opponents. Reform MP and environment critic Paul Forseth blamed the Liberals for fumbling the issue.
A spokesperson for the cattle industry said the bill can and should be fixed and passed.
“We just can’t live with this bill but we honestly believe it can be fixed if they were more flexible,” said Canadian Cattlemen’s Association president Dave Andrews.
The bill would protect endangered species on federal lands and require efforts to rehabilitate threatened or deteriorating wildlife habitat if a threatened species is affected.
Concern to ranchers
Cattle producers in particular have complained the legislation threatens to impose costly regulations and restrictions on how they can operate when using crown land as part of their operations.
The cattle industry has been part of a resource industry lobby trying to win changes and a more voluntary approach to endangered species protection.
British Columbia Reform MP Paul Forseth said the Liberals have brought the timing crisis upon themselves by politicizing the issue too much and by proposing legislation that is too harsh and too penalty-oriented.
Yet the prospect of the death of the bill is not necessarily good news for its opponents.
Andrews said the legislation requires changing, but if it dies, there will be a new attempt after the election and the result may be even more one-sided.
“If we go back to square one, you don’t know who you will be dealing with on the government side,” he said.
Some representatives from the other side of the debate agree.
Wilderness and environment groups have argued the bill is not strong enough, and should include provincial lands as well, but they have seen it as a start.
