I would be in favour of…

I would be in favour of strengthening the provisions in the Endangered Species Act to improve the protection of species at risk. It is essential that competent scientific, ecological, and environmental expertise is used to assess species at risk and to make decisions related to protecting the species and find approaches to mitigate risks.

We shout not lengthen notification processes. Species are at risk currently and any lengthening of processes will only serve to put those species into more risk and harm. If anything, we should shorten processes so that we can apply protection to species at risk on a more timely basis.

Yes, we need to account for emerging science but we should always error on the side of increased protection to species. Scientific experts need to be engaged to analyze information without political interference.

We should not use an excuse of economic or social benefit to lessen the protection of species at risk. We should not allow exemptions for activities that may harm species at risk. Decisions must be made based on scientific evidence. The main reasons in Ontario for our wildlife decline are due to habitat loss and habitat degradation due to human activity. We should be improving the situation for wildlife, not allowing exemptions that make the situations worse.