Photo courtesy of the Calgary Zoo

By Alex McCuaig

Sage grouse

Emergency protection order debate in House as rare as sage grouse

Sep 20, 2019 | 6:02 PM

Medicine Hat, AB – Little has been said during Parliamentary debate regarding the federal government’s decision to issue an emergency protection order for the sage grouse in 2013, affecting oil operations around the Manyberries area.

One of the few MPs to raise the issue was Medicine Hat MP LaVar Payne who laid around two dozen petitions before Parliament to amend either the Species at Risk Act or the emergency protection order that flowed from it. Little more has been said in the House opposing the move since Payne retired in 2015.

But the federal environment minister at the time the order was issued, Leona Aglukkaq, held it up as an example of the federal government’s commitment to protecting species at risk.

“Our government is committed to protecting and preserving our rich biodiversity. That is why we announced our government’s intent to introduce an emergency protection order for the sage grouse,” Aglukkaq said in the House on Nov. 5, 2013. “Our record speaks for itself.”

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Medicine Hat’s incumbent Conservative candidate says he has heard the concerns about the issue from constituents.

“I’m of the mind – and certainly our Conservative leadership and caucus is of the mind – that we need a balance between sound environmental policy and the development of our natural resources,” said Motz.

In 2014, the city of Medicine Hat launched two lawsuits against the federal government, claiming the federal government failed to consult with oil and gas operators in the area, it didn’t provide compensation which is allowed under the Species at Risk Act and impinged on provincial rights to govern natural resources.

CHAT News contacted city councillors who did not respond to requests for comment.