In a submission to the Government of Canada on behalf of Greenpeace Canada, Stephen Hazell is urging the federal government to abandon the Getting Major Projects Built in Canada Discussion Paper.
This submission finds that the proposals in Discussion Paper do not further its intended goals of reducing red tape or accelerating major projects approvals. Instead, the Paper is full of environmental rollbacks with only short-term benefits that will ultimately destroy the public’s trust in government and goodwill.
This submission critiques fives issues of the Discussion Paper in detail:
Incoherence With Nature Protection Ambitions
One-Year Review: More Haste, Less Speed
Zones of Environmental Lawlessness
Extinguishing Species at Risk and Harming Fish Habitat
Getting Major Projects Done Right
Finally, this submission makes two key recommendations to the federal government. First, that the government abandon the Getting Major Projects Built in Canada Discussion Paper and any legislative proposals to implement it. Second, that the government uphold its legal obligations to conduct consultations using the process of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent in order to uphold and respect Indigenous peoples’ rights to self-determination, and uphold its domestic and international commitments on nature and climate.
You can read the submission, including the detailed critiques of the five issues in the Discussion Paper, here.