N.S. opposition call government out over withholding environmental racism report
Global News
Nova Scotia’s provincial opposition parties are criticizing the government for continuing to keep a year-old report on environmental racism out of the public eye.
Nova Scotia’s provincial opposition parties are criticizing the government for continuing to keep a year-old report on environmental racism out of the public eye.
Their comments came after Becky Druhan, minister responsible for the Office of Equity and Anti-Racism Initiatives, told reporters Thursday that government has requested a meeting with the environmental racism panel that created the report to “discuss with them before sharing any additional information.”
The report was completed by an eight-member panel appointed in June 2023 to look at how racism affects a community’s natural environment in Nova Scotia. Environmental racism is a form of systemic racism where environmentally hazardous activities like landfills, trash incinerators, coal plants and toxic waste facilities are set up near Black and racialized communities or Indigenous territories.
The report was delivered to the province about a year ago.
“In this instance, the (panel’s) mandate didn’t include a public report. The mandate was advice to government. So we want to respect the parameters of that,” Druhan said after a cabinet meeting when asked if she will release the report.
The panel members included community leaders with expertise in subjects such as Mi’kmaw and African Nova Scotian history, law, health and environmental sciences.
“We do know that Nova Scotians want to hear more, and we want to respect the panel and have a conversation with them before we do that,” Druhan said.
Nova Scotia NDP Leader Claudia Chender and Liberal member Derek Mombourquette both said Thursday it’s puzzling the province is choosing to withhold this critical information about environmental racism.
