The Narwhal | News on Climate Change, Environmental Issues in Canada https://thenarwhal.ca The Narwhal’s team of investigative journalists dives deep to tell stories about the natural world in Canada you can’t find anywhere else. en-US Copyright 2026 The Narwhal News Society Sat, 16 May 2026 00:32:00 +0000 The Narwhal | News on Climate Change, Environmental Issues in Canada https://thenarwhal.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/the-narwhal-rss-icon.png https://thenarwhal.ca 144 144 A Conservative election campaign proposal is raising alarm bells https://thenarwhal.ca/federal-election-2021-newsletter-conservative-infrastructure/?utm_source=rss https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=34028 Mon, 23 Aug 2021 21:05:15 +0000 protestors and police at the Fairy Creek blockades
Photo: Carol Linnitt / The Narwhal
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AUG. 19, 2021

A Conservative proposal is raising alarm bells

Erin O’Toole’s party is bringing back talk of protecting ‘critical’ infrastructure. The election pledge is sparking concerns about the right to freely protest
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Protesters and police at the Fairy Creek blockades
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Between the droughts and the wildfires and the heat dome and just the general sense that the world is melting right now, there seems to be an all-around heightened tenor to conversations about climate change. Add in the devastating warning issued last week from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and suddenly all those sit-ins and demonstrations and marches don’t feel like a fringe reflection of eco-extremists, but instead what people who care about the future of the planet might want to do in their spare time. Just as the need to address climate change is growing more urgent, though, the very act of protest in Canada could become a lot more risky. In fact, a plan to prevent the very kind of protest we’ve seen around energy infrastructure and Indigenous land rights is part and parcel of the election platform of the Conservative Party of Canada. “Peaceful protest is a fundamental right in Canada, but respect for the rule of law means that illegal blockades that shut down critical infrastructure, threaten access to vital supplies, or endanger lives cannot be tolerated,” reads the proposal, which cites the 2020 rail protests tied to the Coastal GasLink pipeline project. It would have been easy to miss the mention of the “Critical Infrastructure Protection Act” in the 160-page Conservative platform, but thankfully it didn’t escape the attention of reporter Fatima Syed, who dug into all the details for this story in The Narwhal. The Conservatives declined to share any further details on the legislation, promising to offer more information at some point in this election campaign. But those who did comment expressed concern about what it could mean for Indigenous land defenders and others seeking to advocate for robust responses to the climate crisis. Some also noted that it appears to be political posturing at a time when we need it least. “The proposal really seems to be focused on trying to divide, when what we really need to be doing is putting in place laws and policies that inspire us and empower people to come together and confront the climate crisis,” said Tony Mass, director of legislative affairs at Ecojustice. (Interestingly, Alberta enacted legislation targeting those who protest along “critical” infrastructure like pipelines and rail lines last year in a law that is now facing a constitutional challenge.)  So how exactly should our leaders be tackling the climate crisis? And what issues would you like to see The Narwhal zoom in on during this federal campaign? Drop us a line to let us know. We’ve got plenty of more election coverage in the, ahem, pipes. Take care and stay aware, Arik Ligeti Audience engagement editor Arik Ligeti headshot P.S. You’ll see that we’ve got a fancy new design for our newsletter — we hope you approve! It’s our attempt at bringing the beautiful look and feel of The Narwhal’s website to your email inbox each week. And we’re always open to suggestions for improvement. Thanks for being a subscriber!  
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This week in The Narwhal
Leigh Joseph, a Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) ethnobotanist, harvests devil's club in the Cheakamus River watershed near Whistler, B.C.
Meet the Cheakamus, the only community forest to develop carbon offsets in B.C. By Stephanie Wood It may be lesser known than the poster-child Great Bear Rainforest, but the humble Cheakamus forest near Whistler is charting new territory when it comes to sustainable timber harvest that outlaws clearcuts, respects Indigenous governance and combats the climate emergency. READ MORE  
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Bella Coola, in the territory of the Nuxalk Nation, which issued an eviction notice to Juggernaut Exploration on Monday.
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Fire burns on land
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What we’re reading
Tyee article: RCMP Has Spent Almost $20 Million Policing Wet’suwet’en Territory
Globe article: Five climate myths the world can finally retire
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]]> Photo: Carol Linnitt / The Narwhalprotestors and police at the Fairy Creek blockades