VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA (March 29, 2012) - Jessica Clogg, Executive Director and Senior Counsel at the West Coast Environmental Law Association issued the following statement in response to today’s budget, which included rollbacks of long-standing legal protections for the environment.
“Today’s budget announcements make it clear that long-standing legal protections for the environment, including environmental reviews of major industrial projects like mines and oil pipelines will soon be rolled back or eliminated.”
“For decades, Canadians have depended on the federal government to safeguard our families and nature from pollution, toxic contamination and other environmental problems through a safety net of environmental laws. Today’s budget would cut up this environmental safety net to serve the interests of a few big companies at the expense of all Canadians.”
“Canadians want strong environmental laws to protect our communities, ecosystems, health, and economy. Recklessly rushing approvals for major industrial projects like pipelines is not the same as building a sustainable economy. A robust, sustainable economy depends on a healthy environment. The multi-billion dollar clean up costs from the Exxon Valdez and the Gulf oil spill remind us that it is citizens who pay the price when things go wrong.”
“Groups nationwide, representing tens of thousands of Canadians are urging the federal government to rethink its budget plans and uphold its responsibility to protect the safety and security of our families and of nature through strong environmental laws: see envirolawmatters.ca.”
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For more information:
West Coast Environmental Law, “Myths & Realities: the 2012 federal budget and environmental laws”
Jessica Clogg, Executive Director & Senior Counsel, West Coast Environmental Law
604-601-2501, cell 778-327-8964, Jessica_Clogg@wcel.org
Rachel Forbes, Staff Counsel, West Coast Environmental Law
604-601-2508, cell 604.345.9129, rachel_forbes@wcel.org
For a pdf version of this press release, click here.