As a long-time environmental lawyer who has watched, and, in some cases, played a role in the development of Canada's environmental laws, I am devastated at the cynical, manipulative, and undemocratic way the Harper Conservatives are weakening or destroying those crucial laws.

This week Federal Environment Minister Peter Kent has made repeated allegations that environmental groups are “laundering money”. This is a serious charge because according to the federal government’s own website: Money laundering is the process used to disguise the source of money or assets derived from criminal activity.

It's hard not to sympathize with those who want to drastically change provincial and federal government environmental assessment processes. You only have to suffer through one or two, witnessing seemingly endless meetings, memos, draft terms of reference, real terms of reference, draft reports, real reports, and the obligatory sprinkling of highly structured consultations -- all much more concerned about process and bureaucratic milestones than substance -- to know something is seriously wrong.

What is puzzling about Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver's announcement today of a streamlined environmental review process is the sense of urgency -- almost panic -- to get resources out of the ground and to market, as quickly as possible.

"There is a growing appetite for our energy resources from the world's dynamic, emerging economies," the Minister said. "But we have to act fast. We have to seize the moment!"

The only question he did not answer is: Why?

What's the hurry?

Our natural resources are not going anywhere. And those "dynamic, emerging economies" we seek to service -- are they planning to close shop soon?

The 2012 federal budget is a gift to the mining industry and a curse on the environment.

With major growth expected in the mining and energy sector, proposed amendments to environmental regulation will allow companies to skip steps and fast-track approval and permitting processes.

The so-called “one project, one review” measure aims to bypass current environmental assessment, which arguably leaves much to be desired, and download responsibilities to ill-equipped provincial governments or do away with them altogether.

First off, the 2012 federal budget makes no upfront claim to be a budget. Indeed, the cover states only "Economic Action Plan 2012: Jobs, Growth and Long-Term Prosperity." While we have been accustomed in recent years to budgets with their own titles, this one does not actually say "budget" anywhere. This makes it more of a framework economic document that includes the gutting of environmental assessment in the name of the economy.

Despite its size and the hundreds of measures it details, Harper's 2012 budget demonstrates just how small-minded their vision is. Canada faces major challenges, with 1.4 million unemployed, stagnant productivity growth, a crisis in retirement security and growing inequality.

Instead of addressing these challenges, what this budget provides is more of their failed economic policies, deep job-killing budget cuts, cuts to public pensions and a highlight: getting rid of the penny.

The Harper Government™ has made no secret of its plan for environmental protection, planning, and assessment; it's a necessary complement to its economic strategy, which essentially consists of extracting as much wealth from the ground as quickly as possible, unencumbered by niceties like public consultation or the free, prior, informed consent of affected Aboriginal peoples.

An internal government memo leaked to fisheries biologist Otto Langer suggests that the Federal government plans on removing a crucial provision of the Fisheries Act – one of Canada’s most important environmental laws.