The Government of Saskatchewan continues to oppose Bill C-69.
Energy and Resources Minister Bronwyn Eyre appeared before the Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources in Ottawa today, to stress the province’s unequivocal opposition to the Government of Canada’s proposed Bill C-69.
Bill C-69 was referred to the Committee after its second reading in the Senate on December 12, 2018.
“Bill C-69 will stop, not start, major energy projects and must be scrapped in its current form,” Eyre said in a press release. “Our government believes this new approach to environmental assessments would create significant uncertainty and lead to continued capital flight from our resource sectors. Bill C-69 disregards provincial jurisdiction and fails to recognize the proven track record and expertise of provincial regulators.”
The Government of Saskatchewan cites major concerns with the bill, including unpredictable and unreasonable timelines, subjective criteria, opportunities for duplication and jurisdictional overreach, and the removal of the current standing test.
According to the Saskatchewan government, the elimination of the standing test means that any organization or individual would be allowed to participate in a public review process of any major project, including a new mine or pipeline. This could dramatically increase costs and the timeline for environmental approval. New, subjective criteria, such as the analysis of the "intersection of sex, gender and other identity factors," would also be introduced, leading to further delays.
Both Saskatchewan and Ontario did not sign on to the final communique at the Energy and Mines Ministers’ Conference in Iqaluit back in August, citing Bill C-69 as a threat to Canada’s energy sector competitiveness.
The Government of Saskatchewan says that major industry associations also oppose Bill C-69.
