Dieselgate: Ottawa ordered to continue Volkswagen

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A lawsuit has been filed against the minister of the Environment, Catherine McKenna.

QMI agency

Thursday, August 3, 2017 18:30

UPDATE
Thursday, August 3, 2017 18:36

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OTTAWA-A lawsuit has been brought by two environmental groups against the minister of the Environment, Catherine McKenna, because of his refusal to investigate and bring proceedings in connection with the fraud of Volkswagen in relation to diesel engines.

Environmental Defence and the Canadian Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) hope that the federal government hold Volkswagen responsible for defrauding the public, “as required by the canadian Law on the protection of the environment”.

“Volkswagen has deceived the public and jeopardized the health of Canadians. It is time that the government of Canada’s punishment with the full force of the criminal law rather than give them a free pass,” one can read in a press release from the organization Ecojustice, which is representing the two groups.

The German automaker has recognized to have developed a rigging system that allowed him to tamper with its diesel engines. It is one of the biggest scandals in the history of the automotive industry. Approximately 105 000 vehicles are affected in Canada.

For its part, the New democratic Party has also asked why no prosecution has been brought in this folder. “That’s enough. It is time that McKenna’s doing his job and prosecutes the case in the case of” scandalous, said in a statement the new democrat member of parliament Brian Masse.

In a statement, the minister assured that the federal government was “determined to enforce the environmental laws of Canada”.

“The experts of Environment and climate Change Canada investigate actively on the subject, their work is presently in progress, she added. We are committed to ensuring cleaner air and healthier communities for Canadians, and protect canadian consumers. If the officials of the ECCC are enough evidence of violations to the Law, measures will be taken, and our government will not hesitate to enforce the law.”