Minister of Environment and Protected Areas Rebecca Schulz has issued a strong statement opposing Bill C-59, saying it will gag the energy industry.Schulz argues that recent amendments to the bill, introduced by federal NDP MP Charlie Angus, pose a significant threat to Canada’s oil and gas industry by imposing severe restrictions on their ability to defend their environmental records.“In February, federal NDP MP Charlie Angus introduced a bill that threatened fines and jail time for Canada’s oil and gas industry if they tried to defend their record on the environment. Canadians were immediately outraged, and the bill was laughed away as being just plain crazy,” Schulz stated.Despite the initial backlash, Schulz said that Angus has successfully incorporated his controversial provisions into Bill C-59 through last-minute amendments. These changes have gained the support of the federal Bloc Québécois, NDP, and Liberals, effectively enabling environmental activists to sue oil and gas companies over allegedly misleading environmental benefits.The bill introduces so-called "anti-greenwashing provisions" that would allow activists to challenge the environmental claims of oil and gas companies. To defend their claims, companies would need to prove them using an "internationally recognized methodology," a term Schulz criticized as vague and undefined, creating unnecessary uncertainty for businesses.“Any company not willing to risk millions of dollars in fines and legal fees will be forced to stay silent. And that is exactly the outcome that Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault and the federal Liberal-NDP-Bloc Québécois alliance wants to happen," she said.Bill C-59 is currently in its third reading in the House of Commons and could pass as early as this week. Schulz warned that if the bill advances to the Liberal-dominated Senate, it is likely to be quickly approved.“C-59, put plain and simply, is an undemocratic gag order. It must be stopped,” Schulz asserted.
