xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) & səl̓ilwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Territories / VANCOUVER
Real nation-building means clean energy, not fossil fuel expansion
Lawyers at West Coast Environmental Law are expressing disappointment at the Prime Minister’s announcement that the federal government intends to fast-track five major projects. Rather than truly sustainable projects Canadians need, today’s list emphasizes the production and export of non-renewable resources.
The full list includes:
- Phase two of LNG Canada in Kitimat, BC
- Darlington New Nuclear Project in Clarington, Ontario
- Contrecœur Terminal Container Project to expand the Port of Montreal
- McIlvenna Bay Foran Copper Mine Project in Saskatchewan
- Expansion of the Red Chris Mine in northwestern BC
The projects are the first to be advanced under newly passed Bill C-5, which gives Cabinet sweeping powers to fast-track projects it deems in the “national interest.” Environmental and Indigenous groups have pressed the government to clarify how decisions about “ational interest” projects are being made, and to ensure First Nations have the opportunity for free, prior and informed consent.
“We’re disappointed that a carbon bomb of an LNG project is considered to be in the national interest. Doubling LNG Canada’s output is a dangerous bet and will lock in decades of new fossil fuel production and export in the middle of a climate crisis,” said Anna Johnston, Staff Lawyer.
Prime Minister Carney and the Major Projects Office assert that these projects align with objectives such as contributing to clean growth and Canada’s climate goals. However, environmental lawyers say that projects like LNG Canada threaten to hinder – not advance – progress on climate change.
"A project like LNG Canada can be shovel-ready and still fail Canadians – it continues to entrench our dependence on fossil fuels and drives us further from our climate commitments,” Johnston said.
Environmental organizations have called on the federal government to adopt seven clear, transparent criteria for determining which projects are truly in the national interest, and according to West Coast lawyers, these projects do not all measure up.
“We are staring down the barrel of an economic crisis while also trying to reverse the climate and biodiversity crises. A response to one can't come at the expense of the other, which means doubling down on projects that will bring us into the 21st century like renewables and public transportation while making sure peoples' voices are heard.”
-----
For more information or to arrange interviews, please contact:
Anna Johnston | Staff Lawyer, West Coast Environmental Law
604-340-2304 • ajohnston@wcel.org