moved for leave to introduce Bill C-490, An Act to amend the Navigable Waters Protection Act (Boundary Waters—Voyageur Waterway and other rivers).
Happy Earth Day, Mr. Speaker.
Last year, the Conservatives systematically gutted our environmental protections here in Canada, from fish habitat to environmental assessments.
With the changes made to the Navigable Waters Protection Act, only 62 rivers and 97 lakes in Canada are now protected.
The NDP is trying to rectify this reckless decision today on Earth Day so I rise to table my private member's bill and I will be joined by my colleagues from across the country to list our heritage rivers as protected waterways in this country. I have the pleasure of tabling this legislation to extend protection to the Mattawa River and the Missinaibi River and the Boundary Waterway in Ontario, as well as the Hillsborough River and Three Rivers in Prince Edward Island.
I look forward to working with our communities, our anglers and hunters, our boaters, first nations communities, ecotourism operators, cottagers, and concerned citizens from around the country to turn this idea into a reality.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)