APTN National News
OTTAWA–The federal Conservative government has a weak grasp of the tar sands’ environmental impact, according to the federal environmental watchdog.
Scott Vaughan, the commissioner on the environment and sustainable development, says the government’s management of the Alberta tar sands ranges from poor to non-existent.
“They don’t know the effects on water quality, they don’t know the impact on ground water, they don’t know the impacts of contaminants downwind or downstream,” said Vaughan, during a press conference Tuesday. “There (are) questions about the impact on wild species such as caribou, the impact of forest fragmentation, so the list of what they don’t know goes on and on.”
Vaughan says the existing tar sands monitoring system is not credible, but his report issued no recommendations because the government already has a plan in place to fix these problems.
Nova Scotia NDP MP Megan Leslie said further tar sands development should be put on hold until the government puts an adequate management regime in place.
“We can look at how to develop tar sands sustainably,” said Leslie. “It is possible, but we need to take a step back, think about it, figure out where we’re going with it, because right now failure to manage the oil sands in a sustainable way has given us an international black eye.”
Vaughan’s 80 page report is also critical of Canada’s climate change goals.
The environmental audit found Canada is failing to meet greenhouse gas emission targets under the Kyoto Protocol.
Canada’s emissions in 2008 were 31 per cent higher than the Kyoto target, according to the report.
Green Party leader Elizabeth May, who is also a B.C. MP, says it’s hypocritical for the Conservative government to claim to be tough on crime to flaunt Kyoto’s targets.
“This is where I would like someone to demand they get tough on crime,” said May. “It’s time for Canadians to say to their government, ‘if you want to see where we want to get tough on crime, it’s when you break your own laws to protect our children’s futures.”
