OTTAWA - A House of Commons committee is giving the federal government a blueprint to streamline environmental assessments so that industrial projects don't face long delays.
The environment committee's review of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act would impose time lines for hearings, give the minister more power to decide whether hearings should go ahead, and give provinces more room to assess projects on their own.
That advice fits with statements made recently by Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver and Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who have complained that lengthy hearings mean billions in lost opportunities for Canada's economy.
But the plan has the opposition parties up in arms.
They have issued dissenting reports and say the Conservatives are gutting Ottawa's ability to protect the environment from damages caused by industrial activity.
