The proposed changes to the…

The proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act (ESA) are the wrong direction for the government to take. They have the capacity to further harm species at risk for the following reasons:
- reduced emphasis on input from scientific experts means that evidence-based decision making is reduced
- increased Minister's discretion around suspending species protections and timelines means increased potential for political interference and politics based decision making
- no clarity on many aspects of the changes - habitat banking, pay-to-slay, and other proposals - simply paying in order to destroy a species does not guarantee its long term survival
- increased timelines for listing a species means delays in conservation action and potential for habitat degradation or destruction

The current ESA is the gold standard in Canada and worked well. If there were issues, these could have been fixed through appropriate dialogue. Putting out these proposed changes and almost immediately including them in a bill does not constitute adequate stakeholder engagement.

Please leave the Act as is and take more time to consult broadly across a range of stakeholders if improvements are desired.