Environmental groups demand withdrawal of Bill C-45

February 12, 2007 VANCOUVER - Conservation groups across Canada are calling on the Conservative government to withdraw a proposed new Fisheries Act for Canada, Bill C-45, from further discussion in Parliament. The groups say that the proposed Bill is flawed and fails to adequately mandate protection for Canada's marine and freshwater environments or for environmental protection in general.

"This proposed Bill falls far short of our expectations," says Bill Wareham, Acting Director for the David Suzuki Foundation's Marine Conservation Program. "Our review of the Bill found significant short-comings. The Bill lacks language that requires the Minister of Fisheries to protect Canada's fish and fish habitat."

Bill C-45 was introduced to Parliament by the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans in early December 2006. Although the current Fisheries Act is outdated and needs to be modernized, the conservation groups say this Bill has major failings that must be addressed before the Bill proceeds any further through Parliament. The groups also claim that Bill C-45 was developed without the kind of meaningful public consultation necessary for changing such an important piece of Canadian legislation.

"Bill C-45 does not compel the Minister to make conservation of fish and their habitat a priority, only that it be taken it into consideration in making decisions," says Catherine Stewart, Campaign Director for the Living Oceans Society. "Any new legislation concerning the management and protection of Canada's fish stocks should be far more forward thinking. This proposed Bill is a 19th century vision for the 21st century."

"If this Bill passes in its current form Canadians will be losing a huge opportunity to secure a better future of our ocean and freshwater fish and fish habitats, and the communities that rely on them," says Susanna Fuller, Marine Conservation Coordinator for the Ecology Action Centre in Halifax.

Martha Kostuch, Vice President for Alberta's Friends of the Old Man River, says the Bill was developed without proper consultation with the public and stakeholders. "None of the conservation groups working on fish issues in Canada were consulted in any meaningful way on this Bill and that concerns us," says Kostuch. "If the Minister is serious about amending and updating the old Act, we feel that he should first consult with the people that will be the most affected -- that has not happened."

"Our groups are asking that the Bill be taken back to the people of Canada for comprehensive consultation and further development before it proceeds through the Parliamentary process," says Stephen Hazell, Executive Director for the Sierra Club of Canada.

A list of coalition members opposing the Bill is attached.

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Backgrounder on the ENGO opposition to Bill C-45


For further information, please contact:

Bill Wareham, Director, Marine Conservation, David Suzuki Foundation
(604) 732-4228 ext. 223

John Werring, Salmon Conservation Biologist, David Suzuki Foundation
(604) 732-4228, ext. 245

Susanna Fuller, Marine Conservation Coordinator, Ecology Action Centre
(902) 446-4840

Catherine Stewart, Campaign Director, Living Oceans Society
(604) 696-5044; Cell (604) 916-6722

Martha Kostuch, Vice President, Friends of the Old Man River
(403) 845-9720

Stephen Hazell, Executive Director, Sierra Club of Canada
(613) 241-4611

Margot Venton, Staff Lawyer, Sierra Legal
(250) 686-1249 (Cell)

The Following Organizations Support This Call For Withdrawal of Bill C-45:
Alberta Wilderness Association. Contact: Martha Kostuch (403) 283-2025
B.C. Federation of Fly Fishers. Contact: Peter Caverhill (604) 461-4503
B.C. Nature (Federation of B.C. Naturalists). Contact: Elaine Golds (604) 737-3057
Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society Contact: Sabine Jessen (604) 657-2813
Club d'ornithologie du Madawaska, ltee. Contact: J. Denys Bourque (506) 739-6471
Como Watershed Group. Contact: Pamela Zevitt (604) 939-0523
David Suzuki Foundation. Contact: John Werring (604) 732-4228 x 245
Earth Action, Prince Edward Island. Contact: Dr Irene Novaczek, (902) 964 2781
Ecology Action Centre. Contact: Susanna Fuller (902) 442-5046
Ecotrust Canada. Contact: Brenda Reid-Kuecks
Environmental Law Centre. Contact: Jason M. Unger (780) 424-5099
Fisheries Recovery Action Committee. Fred Winsor: (709) 738-3781
Friends Fundy Footpaths. Contact: Alonzo Leger: (506) 386-2867
Friends of the Oldman River. Contact: Cliff Wallis (403) 271-1408
Georgia Strait Alliance. Contact: Christianne Wilhelmson (604) 633-0530
Great Lakes United. Contact: Jennifer Nalbone (716) 213-0408
Greenpeace Canada. Contact: Bruce Cox (416) 597-8408
Living Oceans Society. Contact: Dorthea Hangaard (250) 973-6580
Okanagan Similkameen Parks Society. Contact: Juergen Hansen (250) 494-9265
Ottawa Riverkeeper. Contact: Meredith Brown (613) 864-7442
Public for the Protection of the Forests of New Brunswick. Contact: Roger Babin (506) 775-6639
Raincoast Conservation Society. Contact: Nicola Temple (250) 655-1229
Sierra Club of Canada. Contact: Stephen Hazell (613) 241-4611
Sierra Legal. Contact: Margot Venton: Cell(604) 686-1249. Lara Tessaro: office (604) 685-5618 x 245 and cell (604) 313-3132
SOS Eau Water Sankwan Inc. Contact: Louisa Barton-Duguay (506) 382-0592
Toxics Watch Society of Alberta. Contact: Myles Kitagawa (780) 439 1912
Watershed Watch Salmon Society. Contact: Craig Orr (604) 936-9474
West Coast Environmental Law. Contact: Susan Rutherford (604) 684-7378
Yukon Conservation Society. Contact: Karen Baltgailis (867) 668-5678