TORONTO, June 16, 2025 /CNW/ - The federal government's proposed Build Canada Act, a plan to fast-track "nation-building" development projects, from critical minerals mines and oil and gas pipelines to habitat-fragmenting highways and Arctic deep-water ports, risks damaging the nature that is at the core of Canada's economy and identity — threatening the wealth of the nation it is supposed to defend.
World Wildlife Fund Canada is deeply concerned about the bill, which would allow Cabinet to override key environmental protections, such as the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, the Fisheries Act, the Species at Risk Act, and the Migratory Birds Convention Act, for projects deemed in the national interest.
We are also concerned that this legislation could undermine the federal government's obligations under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), including the right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent. Development decisions that bypass Indigenous consultation risk perpetuating the very harms that reconciliation is meant to address.
Canada is already falling behind on its biodiversity commitments. It has yet to meet the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, adopted in 2010, and recently agreed to new targets under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF). Meanwhile, the data tell a troubling story: populations of species listed as at risk nationally by COSEWIC have declined by 59 per cent on average from 1970 to 2016. Species of global conservation concern — those assessed as "threatened" on the IUCN Red List — have declined by 42 per cent on average in Canada over the same time period.
We understand the need to build infrastructure and support economic growth, particularly considering uncertain geopolitical times. But nature must be part of that future, not a casualty of it. Our wetlands, forests and grasslands are not obstacles — they are assets. They store carbon, filter water, and act as natural firebreaks. Undermining the laws that protect them risks repeating the mistakes of the past, when unchecked development led to widespread habitat loss, degraded water systems, and long-term costs to both people and wildlife.
If we've learned anything from recent years of wildfire smoke-filled skies, mega storms and floods, it's that a healthy environment isn't a luxury, it's a line of defence.
Now is the time to invest in nature-based solutions, creating conservation economies that strengthen communities, create jobs and help safeguard us from the impacts of climate change.
We urge Parliament to take a more balanced path, one that ensures development does not come at the expense of the nature that defines and protects us.
About World Wildlife Fund Canada
WWF-Canada is committed to equitable and effective conservation actions that restore nature, reverse wildlife loss and fight climate change. We draw on scientific analysis and Indigenous guidance to ensure all our efforts connect to a single goal: a future where wildlife, nature and people thrive. For more information visit wwf.ca.
SOURCE World Wildlife Fund Canada
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