I am opposed to repealing…

I am opposed to repealing the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and replacing it with the proposed Species Conservation Act (SCA). The purposes of the ESA are to identify and protect vulnerable species and habitat, and promote recovery and stewardship. It is the primary source of provincial protection for over 200 species which are at risk of disappearing from Ontario – birds, mammals, fish, plants and others. The ESA is the cornerstone for protecting species at risk. Under the current ESA, decisions are made by an independent body, based on scientific information, including Indigenous Traditional Knowledge (“ITK”). Ontario is then required to list these species in the regulation which protects them.4 One of the most important features of the current process is that it is insulated from political interference.
The purpose of the proposed SCA is no longer to protect vulnerable species, but rather to balance it against the need for sustainable economic growth. Rather than the current system where an independent body of experts determines which species are at risk, the government will have discretion to decide which species can be protected. The habitat protection under the ESA will be reduced to virtually nothing under the SCA. This proposed legislation will have a devastating impact on migrating species such as caribou. The recovery of species has been eliminated from the proposed new legislation.

The new legislation removes opportunities for the government to review plans and impose protective conditions, and for First Nations to be consulted and accommodated. Even as the outcome of consultation and accommodation processes become more important, the triggers and opportunities for those processes are being stripped away. The removal of consultation opportunities is the opposite to the direction being taken in other provinces, where courts and governments have recognized that automatic registration processes that allow Crown governments to skip consultation may be unconstitutional.

These proposed amendments will have irreversible negative effects on biodiversity for short term economic gain. The best economic development must be environmentally sustainable, otherwise all species including humans will continue to suffer great harm.