Castanet – April 2, 2019
North Okanagan-Shuswap Conservative MP Mel Arnold says Ottawa is not doing enough to protect fresh-water lakes in Western Canada.
Arnold is calling on the federal government to initiate immediate responses to an audit released today examining aquatic invasive species.
The audit was performed by the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development and examined the federal government’s measures to prevent zebra and quagga mussels (among other species) from becoming established in Canadian waters.
“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,” said 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.”