This government has taken a…

This government has taken a strong stand against the threats to our sovereignty from Trump’s America. I commend that wholeheartedly. It is for this reason that I am puzzled by the desire to replicate their consolidation of power and undermining of politically independent, evidence based agencies in favour of partisan political offices. While they state that COSSARO’s role in appropriately classifying species will not change, their capacity as such will be rendered toothless if the government is given the power to edit the protected species list without oversight. The separation of powers is an integral aspect of good government, and allowing the political branch to edit a list which is intended to reflect the present scientific consensus makes as much sense as tasking administrative agencies with writing and voting on our legislation.