On June 20, 2018, legislation that will bring important changes to the Fisheries Act passed Third Reading in the House of Commons.
For Canadian environmental and conservation organizations, this marks a critical milestone on the road to restoring lost protections for fish and fish habitat and introducing new, modern safeguards to address 21st century realities such as increasing pollution, disruption of freshwater ecosystems and declining biodiversity.
Many of the recommendations made by environmental and conservation organizations and by tens of thousands of Canadians over the past three years are reflected in the legislation.
Key updates to the Fisheries Act include:
Bill C-68 - An Act to amend the Fisheries Act and other Acts in consequence is now in the hands of the Senate where it will be studied and voted on in the coming months. Environmental and conservation organizations are eager to see the progress made on the Fisheries Act put into practice, and hope that Bill C-68 will receive Royal Assent and become law before the end of 2018.
In addition to the Senate process, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans is expected to begin engaging stakeholders and the public on the regulations and policies that will be needed to implement a modern Fisheries Act.
See below for reactions to this important milestone by some of the many environmental and conservation organizations that have been working together on renewal of this important Canadian environmental law.
