RE: Separate Navigable Waters Protection Act changes from Bill C-10 -‏2

Good afternoon;

Thank you for your e-mail concerning Bill C-10, the Government's budget implementation legislation.

It is indeed unfortunate that the government has chosen to propose changes to the Navigable Waters Protection Act in its budget implementation bill. It is difficult to see how these amendments relate to the Budget speech Minister Flaherty delivered in the House of Commons on January 27, 2009.

I appreciate you taking the time to bring your concerns to Senator Campbell's attention. Please be assured that the Senate will give Bill C-10 careful examination when it arrives in our Chamber. I look forward to the government's explanation of why these changes to the Navigable Waters Protection Act are necessary to deal with the serious economic challenges now confronting our country.

You will be able to follow Bill C-10's process through the Senate and the House of Commons at www.parl.gc.ca, under the Bills heading on the left side of the screen. I encourage you to keep informed about this piece of legislation, and to follow the work of your Senate.

Yours truly, Megan Bruce

Special Assistant to Senator Larry W. Campbell

The Senate of Canada

Room 708, Victoria Building Ottawa, On K1A 0A4

PH: (613) 995-4050, FAX: (613) 995-4056, TOLL FREE (1800) 267-7362

RE: Separate Navigable Waters Protection Act changes from Bill C-10- ‏ - 1

Thank you for your message.

The present Bill C-10 is in my view an affront to Parliament. It is ostensibly a Budget Implementation Bill; but it includes amendments to more than forty Acts of Parliament, some of which have little or nothing to do with budget implementation.

This Bill seeks to amend The Navigable Waters Protection Act; but it also seeks to change the rules about foreign ownership in transportation, and foreign ownership of the shares of Air Canada, among many other non-budget-implementation intentions. It abrogates the means by which women can obtain pay equity. These and many other legislative provisions in C-10 do not belong in a Budget Implementation Bill.

Many of us in the Senate are determined to try to split the Bill into at least two parts – to separate those matters that actually have to do with budget implementation (which can and should be considered and dealt with quickly), so that proper consideration can be given to the other legislative proposals contained in the Bill. The House of Commons has now passed the Bill without changes, so it falls to us in the Senate to try to give these elements the scrutiny they deserve.

To expect the Senate to consider, within a matter of days, all of the non-budgetary matters contained in the Bill is ridiculous. I don’t know whether we will succeed in convincing the Senate to split the Bill, but some of us will try.

You can be certain that the government will express outrage at any attempt by the Senate to do its job. Most of us have learned that this is just the normal course of events.

I hope that you will continue to follow the progress of Bill C-10, and I thank you again for your message.

Tommy Banks, Senator for Alberta

RE: Separate Navigable Waters Protection Act changes from Bill C-10‏

Hello,

Thank you for your email regarding the Navigable Waters Protection Act (NWP Act). I spoke to this matter Thursday, Feb. 26th in the Senate, suggesting that proposed amendments to the NWP Act be separated from the Budget Implementation Act and sent to our Environment Committee for in-depth study. I'm hopeful that other Senators will agree. Your email likely will also help persuade them to do this, so I appreciate your taking the time to write.

Please find more information on this very topic on my blog entitled PBO: Comments Welcome at www.hullabaloos.ca. Several posts this week address the issue, including Listen to Canadians

Best regards, Elaine McCoy

Save Our Waterways! Sierra Club Action Alert!‏

Tell the Senate not to leave us up the creek without a paddle.

The federal government has included drastic and harmful amendments to the Navigable Waters Protection Act (NWPA), in Part 7 of the Budget Implementation Act, Bill C-10. The bill is now going to the Senate.

Please take a moment to take action at org2.democracyinaction.org

The NWPA establishes that, if someone wants to build something in, on, around, under, over, or through a navigable waterway, such projects are subject to an assessment of the impacts on navigation (ability to canoe, kayak, go rafting, etc) and an environmental assessment before they can be approved. That's reasonable. But the government wants to change the act to leave all that to the discretion of the Minister instead.

These amendments to the NWPA jeopardize both public access to and environmental health of Canadian waterways.

Our best hope now is for Canada's Senate (the Chamber of Sober Second Thought) to remove Part 7 on the NWPA from Bill C-10, so it can be dealt with in greater depth as a separate piece of legislation with full and adequate public stakeholder consultation.

Help us send a strong message to the Senate - lend your voice, speak for rivers!

We have made it easy - please take a moment to take action at org2.democracyinaction.org

Sierra Club, Canada