OTTAWA – New Democrat Critic for National Capital Commission Paul Dewar (Ottawa Centre) welcomed the government bill to protect the Gatineau Park and reform the NCC.

“I welcome this bill and will study it closely to ensure it provides sufficient protection to the park” said Dewar. “This is a step forward for an important issue in our community. I urge all parliamentarians to get this bill to the committee stage as quickly as possible where we can work on improvements”.

The government’s proposal adopts many of the initiatives in Dewar’s private member legislations.

In bill C-207, Dewar proposed a number of reforms to NCC’s appointments and meetings which increase accountability and public participation in NCC’s decision-making. The government has adopted parts of his proposal, including opening the commission’s meetings to the public.

The government has also adopted ideas from Dewar’s bill C-367 in protecting the Gatineau Park, including legislating the boundaries of the park. However, the government bill falls short of providing parliamentary protection against future encroachments and unsustainable developments.

“I am happy that the government has adopted many of the ideas in the private members legislations that I presented in the past two parliaments” stated Dewar. “I look forward to working on this bill at the committee stage and recommending improvements”.