Last month, Canadians elected a majority Liberal government. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made big changes to the Environment portfolio, electing Catherine McKenna as the new Minister for Environment and Climate Change. With the decision, we’re hopeful that nearly a decade of environmental apathy has come to an end.
As part of the Liberals campaign platform, Mr. Trudeau promised that he will review changes to the Fisheries Act and Navigable Waters Protection Act, restore lost protections and incorporate modern safeguards. Canadians must urge him to remain steadfast on these commitments.
While damage to Canadian marine wildlife and ecosystems has already been done, a quick and dedicated reversal of cuts should minimize the harm to the waterways that Canadians take pride in, and that a number of Canadians rely on for their livelihoods.
Securing adequate protections and re-building Canadian research and expertise for at-risk species will help to ensure clean and healthy waterways for Canadians to enjoy for the next hundred years. These changes will also help Canada regain its environmental reputation on the world stage. Finally, strong economic drivers in both tourism and fishing will be restored, solidifying important opportunities in coastal towns on the oceans that border our nation.
As a new government returns to Ottawa, click here to send a message to our leaders about the need to restore protections as promised under the “Real Change” platform.
Protect our environment. Protect our economy. Protect our Fish.