This petition asks the House of Commons to change Bill C-39 so that it keeps environmental protections. It targets provisions that would allow construction before environmental assessments are finished, allow payments to offset harm to fish habitat, let project costs affect protection measures, let ministers adjust environmental conditions, and expand the power to bypass federal environmental laws.

Nature is essential to the health and well-being of Canadians;

Canada’s environmental laws ensure that development minimizes its impacts on nature and people;

Bill C-39 weakens Canada’s environmental laws and enables environmentally harmful activities;

For example, Bill C-39 allows construction to start before environmental risks are fully assessed, allows companies to pay to “offset” environmental damage rather than avoid or repair it, despite research showing that such offsets rarely counterbalance harms, and allows the cost of environmental measures to influence whether a project must implement them; and

Bill C-39 gives Ministers – whose responsibilities do not include environmental protection – the ability to remove or change environmental safeguards.

We, the undersigned,citizens and residents of Canada, call upon theHouse of Commonsto:1. Ensure Bill C-39’s accelerated environmental assessments, consultation, and permitting do not reduce the protection of nature;2. Remove from Bill C-39 the ability for construction to start before environmental assessments are complete;3. Remove from Bill C-39 changes that allow companies to pay fees to offset harm to fish and fish habitat;4. Remove from Bill C-39 the rule allowing the “technical, economic and practical feasibility” of protection measures to affect permit conditions;5. Remove from Bill C-39 the changes that would give greater power to bypass current federal environmental laws, including making the Building Canada Act permanent and allowing for ‘pre-approved regions’ of development; and6. Reject the proposal to allow ministers to “adjust” environmental conditions for projects. 1. Ensure Bill C-39’s accelerated environmental assessments, consultation, and permitting do not reduce the protection of nature; 2. Remove from Bill C-39 the ability for construction to start before environmental assessments are complete; 3. Remove from Bill C-39 changes that allow companies to pay fees to offset harm to fish and fish habitat; 4. Remove from Bill C-39 the rule allowing the “technical, economic and practical feasibility” of protection measures to affect permit conditions; 5. Remove from Bill C-39 the changes that would give greater power to bypass current federal environmental laws, including making the Building Canada Act permanent and allowing for ‘pre-approved regions’ of development; and 6. Reject the proposal to allow ministers to “adjust” environmental conditions for projects.