To the Editor,
I hang a maple leaf flag outside my house, I care about Canada and I’m wary of appeals to the “National Interest”. They probably advantage someone. This year, “National Interest” is disguising a deregulation agenda. Under cover of “National Interest”, government can remove regulations that protect environment and health, consultation, the transparency of government decision-making, and the right-to-strike. As we’ve learned from Alto, “National Interest” is a threat to individual communities and people’s confidence in good government. Look how MAGA changed the USA.
The stated aim of the federal government’s Bill C-39 is to speed up and simplify the approval of projects deemed to be in the “National Interest”. It would authorize ministers to create “Regions of National Interest” of any size, anywhere in the country, where environmental reviews would be short and standards would be relaxed. It would authorize ministers to make decisions protected by cabinet secrecy, that give favoured corporations and projects a fast-track environmental assessment. It would drop environmental assessment requirements for new pipelines and give cabinet the power to “pre-approve” a pipeline before we know the route. It would allow the Minister of Labour to end a strike if it affected the “National Interest”. There is no sunset clause. The next government would also have these powers.
Environmental, labour and indigenous organizations across Canada have raised the alarm. People will rally against Bill C-39 on Thursday, November 12 and ask the legislative committee that is studying the bill to reject it outright. More information at seniorsforclimateactionnow.org/bill-c-39/ here. I will try to meet with MP Mingarelli and carry a nice red C-39 stop sign to the rally in Ottawa.
Lynn Ovenden
Casselman
