In this instance the Conservatives plan to sneak this past the opposition by adding it their Budget Omnibus Bill was exposed when former DFO executive Otto Langer released an email he'd been sent by a current DFO employee and whistle-blower [who'd best be ducking as the fascists are surely circling the DFO staff's email accounts]. The video of an interview with Otto Langer about the repercussions of this move by the Harperites is available here.
NDP Fisheries Critic Donnelly is concerned these changes are designed to clear the way for industrial projects favoured the Harper Government. In a press release following the above exchange in the House, he stated, “The Conservative government is systematically dismantling environmental protection and regulation. By eliminating provisions to protect fish habitat, they can push through their agenda of pipelines, oil super tankers, mega mines and other projects that harm the environment.”
As Otto Langer writes in his article, 'Veteran Fisheries Scientist Warns Harper Government Watering Down Habitat Protections in Omnibus Bill' : "This proposed move by the Harper government is a travesty for our fishery resources and the health of the entire ecosystem and it ignores the needs of our future generations. It is little less than another attack on the biological systems that allow life to exist on this planet. To make matters worse, the political level has decided to not consult with DFO staff or the public on these proposed changes. The Harper government will attempt to sneak this neutering of the Fisheries Act through Parliament within the next two weeks by tacking it on to the end of the up coming Budget Omnibus Bill."
How BC Could Counteract Harper's Gutting of Environmental Protections for Enbridge - Our esteemed contributor Otto Langer blew it wide open when he, using a leaked document, stated that under the Harper government the protection of fish habitat would no longer be enforced against industry and that it would use an “omnibus bill” to try to sneak it through.
