Canada · 8 d ago
Canada backs a UN push to treat environmental crime as serious organized crime
Countries in favour
83 countries
Canada was one of 83 countries voting for a UN protocol to cover crimes such as wildlife trafficking, illegal mining and timber and waste crime. Twelve countries, including the United States, voted against and 27 abstained.
It would be the first new protocol under the UN organized crime convention in 25 years. Talks cannot begin until the UN General Assembly approves funding, and are expected to take years.
And us?
What we know
- 4 of 6 main laws fall below the bar
- Wildlife trafficking clears it, at 5 years
Not yet
- When talks will begin
- What the protocol will say
Most Canadian environmental laws fall below the convention's four-year threshold for serious crime. Baby eels fetch about $2,800 a kilogram, and last year's 100-plus arrests fell under the Fisheries Act.
