SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
A call by Western Arctic MP Dennis Bevington on the territorial government to take a hard look at how changes to federal law will affect Canada's North seems to be falling on deaf ears.
A cabinet spokesperson said Environment Minister Michael Miltenberger (above) had nothing to say about Bevington's report, and wouldn't be commenting on it. |
During a press conference Monday where he released a report looking at the implications of Bill C-45, the federal government's omnibus budget bill that became law last December, Bevington said he hopes the GNWT will carefully consider its implications, especially when it comes to environmental protection and regulation in the territory.
The GNWT should be concerned, said Bevington, because after devolution it will be up to this government to clean up after any environmental disasters, which could mean less money for social programs, roads and other important infrastructure.
A cabinet spokesperson said, however, that Environment Minister Michael Miltenberger, had nothing to say about Bevington's report, and wouldn't be commenting on it.
The 414-page budget bill, which the Conservative government has dubbed the Jobs and Growth Act, contains 60 measures that change Canadian laws and regulations, affecting environmental protection most of all, the NDP MP said.
"This is a terrible move toward a failure to protect the environment," Bevington said.
Looking at the larger picture, Bill C-45 is part of a larger trend in which the federal government is unilaterally changing laws that affect how Canada is seen internationally, and how Canadians feel about their country, said Bevington.
Another trend emerging from Ottawa is a failure on the part of the federal government to properly consult with Canadians before passing massive omnibus bills into law, which is against the spirit of democracy, he said.
"These trends that are taking place are not laid out in policy statements by the Government of Canada, they are simply done incrementally in small steps, hoping that the people of Canada will not understand how their society, their country, is being turned in a completely different direction," he said. "And without understanding, how can we have a proper debate?"
Specifically, Bevington's report takes issue with replacing the Navigable Waters Protection Act with the Navigation Protection Act, and amendments to the Indian Act, the Fisheries Act, the Canada Pension Plan and the Canada Labour Code.
When asked for an example of how this legislation is affecting people in the NWT, Bevington pointed to changes to the Hazardous Materials Information Review Act. Bill C-45 eliminates the hazardous materials review commission, which was previously an independent scientific body looking into things that affect human health. Its responsibilities have been moved to Health Canada.
"What we're seeing is an independent commission that was set up to view hazardous materials - such as hazardous materials that cause cancer in human beings - and they've taken that away and now we have it within the Ministry of Health, under the thumb of the government," said Bevington.
The report, titled Bill C-45: Jobs and Growth Act (Omnibus Budget Bill) Implications for Canada's North, was written by Bevington and his staff and is available on Bevington's website, in hard copy at his constituency office, and has been sent to all territorial MLAs.
