The federal government’s species-at-risk proposals continued their
troubled journey through the House of Commons with some serious cracks
showing in Liberal solidarity.
A number of senior Liberal MPs from the environment committee publicly
condemned the government and environment minister David Anderson for
what they consider a weakening of an all-party compromise forged at the
committee when the bill was studied in detail.
Former environment minister and current environment committee chair
Charles Caccia said various industry, environmental and native groups
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supported the committee agreement.
“It is extremely unfortunate the government will not go as far as
industry is willing to go in the protection of endangered species,” he
said.
Toronto-area MP Karen Kraft Sloan was more blunt. She sarcastically
denounced government changes to the bill as “so-called flexible
measures.” She said these were a fatal weakening of the bill.
“I call it an abdication of government responsibility,” she said as she
urged MPs to defeat government amendments.
“For the record, the government is gutting amendments that it supported
at committee.”
Quebec MP Clifford Lincoln, a former Quebec environment minister, said
this is the third federal attempt in eight years to bring in endangered
species legislation.
“Unfortunately, it is sad to see that this third bill may be the
weakest of all because it is so discretionary.”
Canadian Alliance MPs who have been fighting the bill were thrilled
with the signs of Liberal disarray.
“It takes courage to stand in the House against one’s own government,”
said Lethbridge Alliance MP Rick Casson.
The litany of complaints during a day of debate March 21 included a
government insistence that landowners need not be informed that their
land has become habitat for an endangered species, a government refusal
to be pinned down to how quickly recovery action plans need be written
for threatened habitat, and the lack of guaranteed compensation for
landowners affected by restrictions on land use.
“We have a stillborn bill because of what the government has done to
it,” said Red Deer MP Bob Mills, Alliance environment critic.
Caccia seemed to agree. “They are undoing the careful work made by way
of consensus, intensive negotiations, co-operation and initiatives
taken in particular by the member for Red Deer … and others, to
arrive at an all-party consensus which resulted in the report from our
committee,” said the 33-year veteran MP.
The government insists it will push the bill through by summer.
But the vocal dissent of key Liberals has raised speculation that the
government may not be able to muster enough votes to get the bill
through.
It was the fear of defeat that drove the Canadian Cattlemen’s
Association, a traditional ally of the Alliance critics, to recently do
an about-face, asking MPs to pass a flawed bill because a new version
could be even more hostile to landowners.
