As part of a broader suite of environmental law reforms, (including the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, National Energy Board Act, and Navigation Protection Act) the Fisheries Act has been under review since 2016. The reviews relate to a series of changes by the previous government in 2012 that weakened those environmental laws. The mandate letter issued to the Fisheries Minister by the Prime Minister in 2016 called on him to “restore lost protections and introduce modern safeguards” to the Fisheries Act.
Amendments to the Fisheries Act have been proposed in a Bill C-68, introduced into the House of Commons on February 6th, 2018. This Q&A is intended to answer questions about the amendments, and examine how the Bill restores lost protections and introduces modern safeguards.