Stop PM Carney from gutting Canada’s environmental laws

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s latest attack on environmental safeguards and public accountability proposes dismantling review processes, reducing opportunities for public engagement and rushing timelines for fossil fuel pipelines, LNG terminals and mines. Former federal Liberal environment minister Steven Guilbeault described the policy as “worse than Harper-era cuts.” It’s the worst sign yet that the federal government is putting corporate profits above people, nature and the climate.

What you can do

Send a message to the federal government demanding they reject these dangerous rollbacks and uphold and strengthen environmental laws. Use the points below to add to or edit your letter!

Why this matters

Giving corporations the ability to ignore rules that protect endangered wildlife and their habitat and giving the federal cabinet the power to override environmental laws and pre-approve projects before impacts on communities, wildlife, climate and public health and safety are even considered. Environmental assessments exist to protect people and nature — they must not be sidelined.

Points to Consider:

(Use these to add or edit to your letter)

  • No project should ever receive its permits without an impact review in an era of biodiversity and climate crises. Exempting many major projects from federal impact assessments would dismantle longstanding environmental legislation and jeopardize public health, water and vulnerable species. 
  • Moving pipeline reviews from the independent Impact Assessment Agency to the politically-appointed Canada Energy Regulator and exempting them entirely from environmental reviews undermines public trust in the process.
  • Proposed “Federal Economic Zones” would give Cabinet sweeping powers to bypass environmental laws and approve projects before reviews are even complete.
  • No project should be considered in the “public interest” without the government knowing the risks.
  • Delegating project reviews to provincial agencies will result in inconsistent standards, especially in provinces such as Ontario where environmental regulations have been dismantled. 
  • Removing the prohibition against jeopardizing the survival of a threatened or endangered species under the Species at Risk Act for certain projects will eliminate one of the only safety nets for biodiversity in Canada. Weakening regulations that protect species at risk and biodiversity will make our international commitment to protect 30 per cent of lands and waters by 2030 unreachable. 
  • The proposed one-year timeline for project reviews would make it impossible to properly evaluate impacts on Indigenous rights, water, wildlife, climate, health and safety risks, especially given the budget cuts to the ministries responsible for these reviews and existing gaps in these processes.
  • Giving the public a 30-day comment period on such drastic changes to critical legislation is unacceptable and undemocratic
Points to Consider:

(Use these to add or edit to your letter)

  • No project should ever receive its permits without an impact review in an era of biodiversity and climate crises. Exempting many major projects from federal impact assessments would dismantle longstanding environmental legislation and jeopardize public health, water and vulnerable species. 
  • Moving pipeline reviews from the independent Impact Assessment Agency to the politically-appointed Canada Energy Regulator and exempting them entirely from environmental reviews undermines public trust in the process.
  • Proposed “Federal Economic Zones” would give Cabinet sweeping powers to bypass environmental laws and approve projects before reviews are even complete.
  • No project should be considered in the “public interest” without the government knowing the risks.
  • Delegating project reviews to provincial agencies will result in inconsistent standards, especially in provinces such as Ontario where environmental regulations have been dismantled. 
  • Removing the prohibition against jeopardizing the survival of a threatened or endangered species under the Species at Risk Act for certain projects will eliminate one of the only safety nets for biodiversity in Canada. Weakening regulations that protect species at risk and biodiversity will make our international commitment to protect 30 per cent of lands and waters by 2030 unreachable. 
  • The proposed one-year timeline for project reviews would make it impossible to properly evaluate impacts on Indigenous rights, water, wildlife, climate, health and safety risks, especially given the budget cuts to the ministries responsible for these reviews and existing gaps in these processes.
  • Giving the public a 30-day comment period on such drastic changes to critical legislation is unacceptable and undemocratic