MP calls for protection of Northern rivers
Dennis Bevington fights for conservation
of Peel and Slave rivers in the House of Commons
Jeanne Gagnon
Northern News Services
Published Monday, October 28, 2013
OTTAWA
Calls to protect rivers in the NWT flowed into the House of Commons last week.
Dennis bevington: Says he is "not confident" the feds will act on the petition he tabled in the House of Commons. - |
Western Arctic NDP MP Dennis Bevington tabled a petition to reinstate federal protection of the Slave River signed by half the population of Fort Resolution on Oct. 21. On Oct. 23, he introduced a bill to add the Peel River to the list of waterways protected under the Navigation Protection Act. The federal government had removed protection of the river when it changed the act as part of its second omnibus budget bill.
The petition concerning the Slave River contained about 200 signatures, including one from Fort Resolution Mayor Garry Bailey. He said he hopes the federal government will reconsider its position.
"It's important to us. The water flows downstream. We're in the bottom of the river, you might as well say," said Bailey. The Slave River flows from Lake Athabasca to Great Slave Lake. "All the effects that come from upstream, we're affected by it. Just taking the protection off the Slave River, it's a great big concern for us. We'd like to see it protected somehow."
He added the river needs to be monitored as long as the tar sands are in existence.
In the House of Commons, Bevington said the river, which has been navigable for 100 years, is an important connection in the North.
"The petitioners ask that the Slave River be returned to protection under the Navigable Waters Protection Act," said Bevington. Since the 1880s, the Navigable Waters Protection Act, now known as the Navigation Protection Act, has been used to assess the potential impact of development on lakes and rivers. But changes made to the act in the federal government's omnibus budget bill meant fewer than two per cent of Canada's waterways are now protected. The Slave River was excluded from protection.
Bevington added when half the population of a community sign a petition, it sends a "very strong" message.
"That's why I pointed that out in Parliament. It's not an unusual occasion when that kind of support comes from a community for a particular, very sensible and practical petition," he said. "Petitions like that do two things. They raise the consciousness of the issue in Parliament and they also do the same thing within the community."
Bevington said he is "not confident at all" the federal government will act on the petition, adding constituents might have to wait until after the 2015 general election to get any results.
"This government seems to be not listening to anyone. But I think it was important to make the point. It's part of the parliamentary record. I think it's great so many people in Fort Resolution understand the issue," said Bevington. "The Slave River is so much a part of the livelihood of Fort Resolution people. They use country food, traditional food and resources
from that river to such a great extent, it is very much part of their lifestyle."
Edmonton-Strathcona NDP MP Linda Duncan tabled a private member's bill in parliament this past June to preserve the federal protection of the Slave River.
Later in the week, the Peel River took the spotlight in Ottawa when Bevington introduced the bill to add the river back to the list of waterways under the Navigation Protection Act.
"After consulting with people in the Mackenzie Delta and in Whitehorse, I knew there was a need to undo the Conservative mistake of removing protection from the
Peel," stated Bevington in a news release.
Restoring protection to these rivers under the Navigable Protection Act doesn't need to be a "long, drawn out process," said Bevington - parliamentary order and council can choose at any time to add more waterways to the act.
Having a river protected under the act would mean that "any development on the river would be viewed through the lense of the use of the river," he said, adding that the act has been used as a jumping-off point for environmental assessments in the past.
"There is a big concern for the Peel watershed," said Bevington regarding what he heard while attending the Dene Assembly in Inuvik and the Gwich'in Gathering in Fort McPherson this summer.
He added the river's tourism potential would be lost if "uncontrolled resource development" were to go ahead.
Tetlit Gwich'in Council Chief William Koe said his people have been pushing for the Peel watershed to be protected.
"It's our food. It's our land we talk about. It's our water we drink. It's our way of life we lived on thousands of years ago, and we still continue to do that," he said.
Koe thanked Bevington for introducing the bill to ensure the protection of the river and to allow the voices of the Gwich'in people of Fort McPherson are heard.
"All this comes together because of the concerns we have and the issues we have been dealing with over the years. Since 1953, this issue has surfaced for the people of Fort McPherson and will continue until the issue is dealt with," said Koe. "We will be listening and giving support to (the bill)."
- with files from Laura Busch
