Ottawa
-- March 4, 2009 -- Cracking down on polluters,
poachers and wildlife smugglers through
increased fines and new enforcement tools
are the main elements of the Environmental
Enforcement Bill introduced in the House
of Commons today by Environment Minister
Jim Prentice.
A key provision of the
new bill is that it raises maximum fines
and introduces minimum fines for the first
time. Under the proposed bill, fines for
individuals who commit serious offences
would be between $5,000 and $1 million,
while fines for corporations would be between
$25,000 and $6 million. The bill also gives
enforcement officers new powers to investigate
cases and grants courts new sentencing authorities
that ensure penalties reflect the seriousness
of the pollution and wildlife offences.
"In the election
campaign, our government committed to bolster
the protection of our water, air and land
through tougher environmental enforcement
that holds polluters accountable. Today
we delivered," said Minister Prentice.
"This bill, together with funding commitments
of $43 million from Budgets 2007 and 2008
to hire more enforcement officers and to
implement the new measures, will provide
a comprehensive, modern and effective enforcement
regime for Canada."
Through the Environmental
Enforcement Bill, it is proposed that Parliament
signal through new statutory provisions
the level of fines appropriate for environmental
offences and expand the authority to deal
with environmental offenders by:
specifying aggravating
factors such as damage to a protected area
or to a unique or vulnerable environment
or species;
providing fine ranges
higher for corporate offenders than for
individuals;
doubling fine ranges
for repeat offenders;
authorizing the suspension
and cancellation of offender licenses, permits
or other authorizations upon conviction;
requiring corporate
offenders to report convictions to shareholders;
and
mandating the reporting
of corporate offences on a public registry.
As well, the bill directs
that fines imposed by the courts go to the
Environmental Damages Fund which provides
funding to local environmental improvement
initiatives.
The existing environmental
laws to be improved by the omnibus Environment
Enforcement Bill, some of which have not
been updated in over two decades, are:
The Canadian Environmental
Protection Act, 1999
The Canada Wildlife Act
The Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994
The Wild Animal and Plant Protection and
Regulation of International and Interprovincial
Trade Act
The Antarctic Environmental Protection Act
The International River Improvements Act
The Canada National Parks Act
The Canada National Marine Conservation
Areas Act
The Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park Act
The new legislation builds on the Budget
2007 commitment of $22 million for the hiring
of 106 new officers, bringing the number
of on-the-ground enforcement officers across
the country to more than 320, and the Budget
2008 allocation of $21 million over two
years to implement the stricter environmental
enforcement measures.
Frédéric
Baril
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of the Environment
