Madam Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to raise this matter again with the government. I first raised the matter on January 29. It was in response to a Globe and Mail article revealing an Environment Canada report from which we learned that it is not just the National Energy Board that has been failing to enforce environmental laws. As revealed by the head of Environment Canada's enforcement branch, there has been poor morale and fear of reprisal among the officers responsible for enforcing the law.
They had expressed concerns that they were forced to turn a blind eye to even serious environmental violations.
This matter concerns me, not just as an elected member of this place, but as the former chief of enforcement for Environment Canada. I continue to work very closely with enforcement officers, not just in this country, but in Bangladesh and Indonesia. I remain convinced that Canada has a place in this world to show how effective enforcement can be delivered.
Clearly, the evidence that is provided by this memo that was released to the media shows that we have a serious problem in this country. I think it is important that the new government address this.
The kinds of concerns that have been identified include, in some instances, the abject failure to actually uphold the law, as enforcement officers felt their actions were blocked if they were not a government priority; disconnect between the regions and headquarters; grievances not addressed in a timely way; lack of respect for the job of investigators; lack of recognition that enforcement officers should have science knowledge; lack of resources to even go to the field to deliver their enforcement role.
If I could share with this place a quote in the report from a regional enforcement officer, “Many people are breaking the law, but because of priorities, we can’t do anything.”
That is a stunning and disturbing revelation.
A second quote is, “We cannot only do our job from 9-5.... if we leave we simply send the message that they only need to comply with the law between 9 and 5, after that it is free range.”
Obviously, there are deep concerns within our Department of Environment. That is an agency that has been mandated to enforce environmental protection laws, for protection of threatened species, protection of our waterways, protection of clean air, and the delivery of international commitments and obligations are enforced. It is important for us to keep in mind that one of those international obligations is pursuant to NAFTA. A sidebar agreement to that trade agreement is the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation. I also had the honour of working with the secretariat that operates under that agreement.
Pursuant to that agreement, Canada has committed to the effective enforcement of its environmental laws. Not only do we have an obligation to ensure that we are inspecting, monitoring, and enforcing our environmental laws, we have international obligations and commitments to maintain.
This is not the first time such a review was undertaken. Back in the late 1980s, a similar review was held and enforcement officers, for the first time in history, were brought in to tell what was going on in the field. I am very sad to say that we seem to have returned to that state.
My question for the government would be, what action is being taken to address these concerns? I am deeply concerned about the response given by their former director. I look forward to being assured that, in fact, the new government actually takes the responsibility seriously to ensure the effective enforcement of Canadian environmental laws.