February
19, 2002
For Immediate Release
“Compensation
must be tied to fair market value of the land and it must be in this bill.”
Ottawa
– Yesterday afternoon in the House of Commons Garry Breitkreuz, MP for
Yorkton-Melville, addressed a key flaw to Bill C-5, the Species at Risk Act. The
bill does not state that compensation would be mandatory to those who would lose
the rights to their land in order to protect endangered species.
Currently as it stands compensation would be given on a case-by-case
basis leaving it in the hands of federal bureaucrats.
Breitkreuz stated that he would like to see a formula in place that would
be an incentive to protect species at risk. Private landowners should know in
advance what kind of compensation they would receive.
“Farmers
and ranchers have about as much trust in federal bureaucrats as some athletes do
with international figure skating judges,” stated Breitkreuz in his speech to
the House.
Breitkreuz
used many of the comments that he received from his Agriculture Forum held in
Yorkton on January 15, 2002, and he also used the feedback he is receiving from
reeves, councillors, and mayors in his riding.
He pointed out that rural Saskatchewan residents have a real concern with
this bill and the consequences it may have on their livelihood.
“We
are not just talking about some harmless bill here that will have little effect.
It could have a very detrimental effect on farmers and they would like
the government to listen to their concerns,” said Breitkreuz.
The
bill, which is currently before the House at Report Stage, has numerous
amendments on the table. One of these by the Canadian Alliance asks that compensation
be tied to the fair market value of the land, and that it would be paid only to
landowners, or those who have a legal attachment to the land.
“Farmers
are willing to do their part in maintaining the environment and protecting
endangered species, but they want everybody to share the load and that’s why
this needs to be fair legislation,” commented Breitkreuz.
“If
this government wants all private landowners and resource rights holders to
wholeheartedly co-operate with this legislation, then there must be full
compensation to them. It must not
be left to the whim of bureaucrats and politicians.
As this bill now stands in Parliament, it will have the opposite effect
that it was intended for. Landowners
will simply shoot, shovel and shut up if they find a protected species on their
land. This bill must not pass
through Parliament as it now stands and I’m going to fight to see that it
doesn’t,” concluded Breitkreuz.
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