This proposed legislation…

This proposed legislation has several flaws. Primarily, it may well be unconstitutional. In particular, the provisions for "Special Economic Zones" clearly do not provide for adequate Indigenous consultation, and I highly doubt they would survive a court challenge.

In addition, I am concerned about the watering down of the definition of "habitat" in the proposed Species Conservation Act. Including just the dwelling place (or critical root zone for plants) will not protect individuals of a species at risk.

I am also concerned about the prohibition of engaging in an activity that will result in a species no longer living in the wild in Ontario. This will lead to a race to the bottom, whereby wild populations will be extirpated until there is, in theory only one left. Only one population is essentially extinction, because a single population cannot survive for long.