Law firm asks N.S. party leaders to commit to 'a right to a healthy environment'
NDP, Liberals and Greens support legislation, PC stance on idea unclear
An Atlantic Canadian law firm is hoping Nova Scotia's political parties will work together to come up with legislation guaranteeing "a right to a healthy environment," a proposal supported by some of the parties.
East Coast Environmental Law is petitioning party leaders to establish a bill of rights that would give the government a legal responsibility to protect the environment for present and future generations. The law firm would also like the act to guarantee biodiversity preservation, provide new and enhanced tools to support the work, and aid in implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
"This campaign is really to put out there an idea, a vision that in many ways is idealistic, but that we know a lot of people agree with and that we hope many more would agree with and support if they were able to learn more about it," said Tina Northrup, a lawyer with East Coast Environmental Law.
Northrup said the legislation would make a right to a healthy environment a fundamental human right in the province.
Parties weigh in
Nova Scotia NDP Leader Claudia Chender said her party would continue to advocate for the bill of rights if they were to form a government. The party has previously proposed legislation through private member's bills but was unable to garner the support of other parties.
"We introduced the legislation, and our pitch is climate change is real and let's all acknowledge that and let's act accordingly," Chender said at a media availability on Monday.
Liberal Leader Zach Churchill, who was a part of the government when the NDP introduced legislation, said he was not familiar with the proposal from East Coast Environmental Law when asked at a campaign event on Monday.
"We have a clear track record on prioritizing our environment, making sure we're doing our part to reduce emissions and green our grid and protect our coasts," Churchill said Monday.
On Tuesday, the Liberal Party of Nova Scotia issued a statement saying they support an environmental bill of rights.
When asked about support for an environmental bill of rights on Tuesday, Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Houston said his party has taken other steps like protecting Owl's Head and legislating environmental goals.
"It depends what it is. I think our track record of listening to Nova Scotians is obvious," he said.
A statement from the Progressive Conservative Party on Monday did not say if they support the call for a right to a healthy environment. Spokesperson Catherine Klimek said working toward emissions reduction and land protection goals, as well as providing funding for energy upgrades and climate change mitigation, "go at the nature of the legislation."
"We know our climate is changing. Nova Scotians only need to look back at the devastating wildfires and floods to be reminded of the effects. That's why we've been acting and will continue to act," said Klimek on Monday.
The Green Party of Nova Scotia supports an environmental bill of rights "that enshrines the principle of a basic human right to a healthy environment."
"Elected Greens would support a Bill like this, and we would look to Mi'kmaq knowledge holders for guidance in shaping this type of legislation," Green Leader Anthony Edmonds said in a statement.
Regardless of who is elected to form government on Nov. 26, Northrup said the issues of biodiversity loss, climate change and pollution need to be addressed.
"The occasional political infighting that we see, the more of that that happens, the less opportunity we'll have to actually get real momentum on addressing these issues," she said.
However, polling released on Saturday shows health care, affordability and housing are the top three issues for voters.
"We need government to care about those. But they're not the only issues," said Northrup.
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