View topic - Harper removed protection of navigation for all bodies of wa

On May 15, 2014, Prime Minister Stephen Harper launched the National Conservation Plan (NCP), which will provide a more coordinated approach to conservation efforts across the country with an emphasis on enabling Canadians to conserve and restore lands and waters in and around their communities, and making it easier for citizens living in cities to connect with nature.

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Building on the conservation measures announced in Budget 2014, the National Conservation Plan includes funding of $252 million, primarily over a five-year period (2014 to 2019) for a variety of conservation initiatives:

$100 million over five years to the Nature Conservancy of Canada to secure ecologically sensitive lands;

$37 million over five years to strengthen marine and coastal conservation;

$3.2 million over five years to support the development of a complete national inventory of conserved areas in Canada;

$50 million over five years to restore wetlands;

50 million over five years to support voluntary actions to restore and conserve species and their habitats;

$9.2 million over five years to connect urban Canadians to nature;

$3 million over three years to Earth Rangers to expand family-oriented conservation programming.

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Stephen Harper’s changes to the Fisheries Act, and his elimination of the Navigable Waters Protection Act, have weakened environmental protections. We will review these changes, restore lost protections, and incorporate more modern safeguards.



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We will make it more affordable for more Canadians to visit and appreciate our National Parks.

• In 2017, the 150th anniversary of Confederation, admission for all visitors to National Parks will be free.

• Beginning in 2018, admission for children under 18 will be free, and any adult who has become a Canadian citizen in the previous 12 months will be given one year’s free admission.

• Through an expanded Learn to Camp program, more low- and middle-income families will have an opportunity to experience Canada’s outdoors.


To protect ecosystems and species at risk, we will invest $25 million each year to develop Canada’s National Parks system, as well as manage and expand National Wildlife Areas and Migratory Bird Sanctuaries.

We will protect our National Parks by limiting development within them, and where possible, we will work with nearby communities to help grow local eco-tourism industries and create jobs.

We will reverse Stephen Harper’s cuts to Parks Canada, which cut more than $25 million from programs and services, and made it more difficult for Canadians to experience our National Parks and learn more about our environment and our heritage.

We will work with the Ontario government to create the country’s first urban National Park – Rouge National Park – including improved legislation to protect this important ecosystem and guide how the park will be managed.

The Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 is an Act of the Parliament of Canada, whose goal is to contribute to sustainable development through pollution prevention and to protect the environment, human life and health from the risks associated with toxic substances.

The Bottom Line
Weak legislation, loopholes, lack of funding, poor habitat protection, political interference and poor implementation leaves Canada's rich wildlife with poor protection.

The Fisheries department said in an e-mail this week that it is still focusing on preserving fish habitat but “is adopting a practical, common-sense approach that focuses on managing threats to Canada’s recreational, commercial and aboriginal fisheries and the fish and fish habitat on which they depend.”

But critics said it is clear that the government has allowed industry to write the law. “What we see here is a government listening only to industry concerns,” said Andrew Gage of West Coast Environmental Law, one of the environmental groups that were consulted by the DFO before the law was rewritten. “When laws are written to pander to particular industries, Canadians get weak environmental laws, and weak protection for our fish.”