Report Says Feds Missing Mark On Water Protection

The Member of Parliament for North Okanagan Shuswap says an audit shows the Liberal government is not doing enough to protect BC waters from aquatic invasive species (AIS).

Mel Arnold is proposing a study to examine the government program, how its resourced, and how the resources are applied to activities across Canada.

“Although we have known for some time that there are significant gaps in the federal AIS program, especially for British Columbia, the Commissioner’s report released today has exposed the government’s mismanagement and neglect of their duty to protect our waters,” says Arnold. “It is clear that the federal government is failing in their responsibility to lead the management of aquatic invasive species nationally and their timelines for closing these gaps stretch to 2022- this is unacceptable.”

Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development Julie Gelfand said in her report, the feds have not taken the steps required to prevent invasive species, such as the zebra mussel, from becoming established in Canada’s waters despite commitments to do so.