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e-1030 (Navigable waters)

E-petition
Initiated by Edward George from FOREST, Ontario

Original language of petition: English

Petition to the House of Commons in Parliament assembled

Whereas:
  • More than 35 million people directly rely on the Great Lakes every single day and political realities of any empowered government prevent direct action in protecting freshwater tributaries, streams, rivers and lakes; thus, the need for indefinite protection beyond legislation is required to ensure all Canadians, including Indigenous peoples, can enjoy the sanctity and longevity of the Great Lakes Basin for generations to come;
  • The relationship between major industry proponents including the oil and gas industry and the Canadian Government, as well as any empowered political party of the present day, is fundamentally flawed when considering the need to protect the Great Lakes upon which all life depends; and
  • Any well meaning government concerned with Canada’s environmental legacy and wealth cannot, without significant disruption to the operating status quo and fulfilling the directives of economic growth, make lasting change to protect Water indefinitely.
We, the undersigned, Indigenous & Non Indigenous Peoples of the Great Lakes, First Nations, Metis and Inuit and Citizens of Canada, call upon the House of Commons in Parliament assembled to undertake a process by which to formerly acknowledge the Great Lakes as Living Entities, thereby assigning legal personhood to each Lake including Lake Superior, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario within its power as a Nation State under the British Commonwealth;
Support the formation of a Multi-Interest Great Lakes Tribunal lead by Indigenous Peoples that will act as the Voice of these new Persons. This entity should be formulated by appointment via Indigenous protocols and through multi-interest groups already in existence.
Reinstate the Navigable Waters Protection Act through repealing sections of the Omnibus Bill C-45.
Government response tabled on April 16, 2018 (Sessional Paper No. 8545-421-101-17)
Open for signature
May 26, 2017, at 2:33 p.m. (EDT)
Closed for signature
September 23, 2017, at 2:33 p.m. (EDT)
Presented to the House of Commons
Elizabeth May (Saanich—Gulf Islands)
February 27, 2018 (Petition No. 421-02099)
Government response tabled
April 16, 2018
Photo - Elizabeth May
Saanich—Gulf Islands
Green Party Caucus
British Columbia