Green Party leader issues long laundry list to "repair" damage of Harper government

Green Party leader Elizabeth May has compiled an exhaustive "to-do list" for reversing what she says is the damage inflicted on Canada by the outgoing administration of prime minister Stephen Harper. The list includes eliminating recently introduced legislation governing security, criminal law, citizenship, immigration and refugee law, environmental laws and policies and climate change. It does not include a costing of the proposed changes.

May acknowledges that the list is long and that steps to reverse a litany of legislation will take time. Included among the actions are several categorized under "Restore evidence-based decision making".

• Restore Long Form Census. Rehire Munir Sheik as Chief Statistician of Canada and give him the Order of Canada.

• Repeal C-38 sections that wrecked environmental assessment (EA). Eliminate any EA role for energy regulatory agencies (National Energy Board, offshore petroleum boards, Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission), etc) and return EA to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency

• Repeal C-38's destruction of Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, and further amend the Act to remove the conflict of interest found in the pre-2011 CEAA. A good model can be found in the Liberal 1993 Red Book (never implemented).

• Repeal C-38's elimination of the National Round Table on Environment and Economy.

• Re-hire scientists.

• Restore funding to the Canadian Climate Forum (formerly the Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospheric Sciences).

• Restore funding to Polar Environmental Atmospheric Research Laboratory.

• Restore the Marine Mammals Contaminants Program.

• Restore testing of smokestacks for air quality.

• Restore ozone layer testing.

• Restore freshwater science. Resume funding and work by Department of Fisheries and Oceans in Experimental Lakes Area.

• Restore research funding and monitoring for ecological integrity to Parks Canada.

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