There is no justification…

There is no justification for this amendment under the species conservation act. As said best by Justina Ray:

For species covered under federal law, the reality is that federal protections focus mainly on prohibitions and compliance, are limited in scope and resourcing, and do not integrate species conservation into Ontario’s land-use, resource management, or permitting systems. Federal acts such as SARA, the Fisheries Act, and the Migratory Birds Convention Act may help to prevent direct harm and set overarching recovery goals, but the Ontario Endangered Species Act was designed to provide complementary and locally enforceable habitat protection, permitting oversight, and integration with provincial decision-making.

There’s a striking irony here. Claims of “duplication” are usually used by provinces to assert their own authority, i.e., to take on responsibility rather than relinquish it. Yet here, Ontario cites federal laws as a reason to withdraw, framing retreat as efficiency. This is not streamlining; it is a major step away from shared responsibility for biodiversity stewardship in Ontario.