We are specifically concerned about four changes: the elimination of the environmental assessment trigger is one, exempting whole classes of waterways from scientific study or public review is another, exempting whole classes of projects as well as waterways is a third, and minimizing public notice and consultation when making decisions that affect navigation rights is a fourth. These changes mean reduced transparency in decision-making, they mean a loss of valuable scientific review, and they mean the elimination of parliamentary oversight from one of our most important laws.
We waterkeepers live our lives on the water from British Columbia to Ontario to Newfoundland and Labrador. We know the history behind this law because we live this history. First and foremost, navigation is a right enjoyed by every individual; it's not a privilege that's been given to us by government, and to date, no western democracy has ever taken this right away from its people.
The current act recognizes this and requires that government seek the public's consent and advice every time it infringes on our rights. The new act says we can't afford to do this, we don't have the resources, and we need regulatory efficiency in the name of economic development. That's not true.
The current act gives the minister and the Department of Transport all the authority they need to exempt small projects. It doesn't apply to waters that aren't navigable, and it doesn't apply to projects that don't interfere with navigation. Not only are the amendments overkill and unnecessary, but they won't even accomplish the goals they are supposed to. They eliminate the rights of the public, but at the same time they off-load oversight and accountability to politicians, to provincial governments, and to municipal governments. The work doesn't go away; it just gets passed to somebody else.
It centralizes decision-making in Ottawa, so bureaucrats here will tell people in Alberta and Quebec what will happen on their waterways, and the people who live in those communities and know the waterways better will not have an opportunity or a forum to be heard, to present science, or to help make decisions better. It creates piecemeal protections that will protect some communities at the expense of others. Some communities in Canada will have rights and privileges that others do not enjoy.
There is an attempt here to address some of the economic concerns, and we're well aware of what those are, but at the same time, it's granting opportunities to one group at the expense of another and it's going to hurt hunting and fishing, tourism, outfitters, first nations, and small businesses--the people who rely on these rivers for their livelihood.
We appreciate the opportunity and the privilege to speak to the committee today and we urge you to remember the thousands of people who can't be here tonight, the other waterkeepers, the first nations, the hunters, the paddlers. For the record, we do want to say we do not believe there has been adequate consultation. So many people still need to be consulted, including in your ridings at home, and we apologize that we're here at the eleventh hour pointing out major flaws in this important piece of legislation. We wish we'd had an opportunity to be part of a full consultation prior to tonight, but this is where we are. We're bringing forward the best available research to let you know that the Navigable Waters Protection Act amendments in Bill C-10 are going to pose a huge problem, create administrative burdens, and centralize decision-making in the future, and to ask that you consider them separately from the finance bill, maybe as part of the environmental assessment review that's coming up later this spring, and through the transport committee, and through the environment department.