Canada's anti-environmental "growth" bill

[Paul Mobbs]

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Bad news from the other side of the pond! In a move that seems to embody 
many of the ideas of Osborne and the Tory right in the UK, the Canadian 
Conservatives are introducing a "budget" bill that takes a chainsaw to 
Canadian environmental legislation.

More resource exploitation, environmental assessment is being severely 
restricted (and abolished for Government-funded projects), the legislation 
to implement the Kyoto Protocol is being scrapped, laws protecting species 
and water resources are being rewritten to relax controls over polluting 
industries/processes, and Government environmental agencies/watchdogs are 
being scrapped or having their powers weakened.

Given the traditional links between the UK and Canadian Conservatives, it's 
probably a good idea to familiarise ourselves with how this process is 
being carried out. With the recent emphasis in political circles on 
"promoting growth", its probably only a matter of time before we similar 
moves over here. The Beecroft "hire and fire" proposals are the tip of the 
iceberg -- many on the Tory right have a long-standing antagonism to many 
aspects of environmental protection legislation.

For more info. see the Canadian Green Party's "Environmental Devastation 
Act" campaign -- http://www.greenparty.ca/c-38

A full list of the measures is on the Green Party site at --
https://www.greenparty.ca/media%2Drelease/2012%2D05%2D10/may%2Dclarifies%2Ddeliberately%2Dconfusing%2Dbill%2Dc%2D38

The BBC has an analysis, focussing on tar sands and the opening-up of the 
Arctic to resource exploitation, at --
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-radio-and-tv-18020931

P.

- -- 

.

"We are not for names, nor men, nor titles of Government,
nor are we for this party nor against the other but we are
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God, and with one another, that these things may abound."
(Edward Burrough, 1659 - from 'Quaker Faith and Practice')

Paul's book, "Energy Beyond Oil", is out now!
For details see http://www.fraw.org.uk/mei/ebo/

Read my 'essay' weblog, "Ecolonomics", at:
http://www.fraw.org.uk/mei/ecolonomics/

Paul Mobbs, Mobbs' Environmental Investigations
3 Grosvenor Road, Banbury OX16 5HN, England
tel./fax (+44/0)1295 261864
email - mobbsey at gn.apc.org
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