After 10 years of ups and downs, the legislation that protects precarious wildlife is ready for an overhaul that will kick into high gear this fall, Environment Minister Peter Kent says.
In an interview with The Canadian Press, Kent said he wants to spend the next few months figuring how to make the Species At Risk Act more efficient.
In particular, he wants the recovery plans provided for in the legislation to consider whole ecosystems, rather than just species in isolation.
"There are improvements to be made," Kent said. "Sooner rather than later we need to address changes to the Species at Risk Act to be more effective."
Kent said he has already been in deep talks with wildlife experts and legal advisers about the weaknesses of the existing legislation, enacted in 2002 by the former Liberal government after years of agonizing.
But the changes are not ready to be included in the budget omnibus bill expected to be tabled soon after Parliament resumes sitting next week, he said.
That may be a bit of a relief to environmentalists.
Major changes to environmental oversight were included in the last budget bill in the spring, dramatically streamlining environmental assessment procedures, reforming the Fisheries Act and handing federal ministers more power over what kinds of projects need to be reviewed.
The scope of the bill, as well as its intent, prompted a huge outcry from the opposition and environmentalists. They accused Ottawa of abandoning federal responsibility for the environment in the name of resource development.
Now they're afraid the government wanted to use the second omnibus bill to water down the Species at Risk Act without consultation.
Kent says flaws in the legislation became obvious the minute it took effect and have become starker over time.
