OTTAWA - The Harper government is planning to gut the powers in federal legislation intended to protect fish habitat, making it easier for projects such as Calgary-based Enbridge Inc.’s Northern Gateway pipeline to B.C. to clear federal hurdles, according to a retired fisheries biologist who obtained the information from a government source.

Proposed new wording would prohibit activity that would cause an “adverse effect” on “fish of economic, cultural or ecological value,” whereas the current law bans activity that results in the “harmful alteration, disruption or destruction of fish habitat,” according to the information leaked to Otto Langer.

The changes, if enacted, would result in the total re-writing of the legislation to remove habitat protection provisions that have been in place since 1976, said Langer, a federal biologist for 32 years who later worked for the David Suzuki Foundation before his retirement.

“This is a serious situation and will put Canada back to where we were in the pre-1976 period where Canada had no laws to protect fish habitat and no way to monitor the great industrial expansion that occurred in Canada, with the consequential loss of major fish habitat all across Canada,” Langer said in a statement.

NDP MP Fin Donnelly raised the issue Tuesday in the House of Commons, asking Fisheries Minister Keith Ashfield if the government planned to include changes to “gut” the Fisheries Act in upcoming federal budget omnibus legislation.

“There has been absolutely no decision made with regard to this issue,” Ashfield replied.

His office, which was sent the proposed wording changes allegedly leaked to Langer, did not deny the validity of Langer’s assertions. The office also released a statement reiterating that no decision has been made, but added that changes are needed.

“Federal fisheries policies designed to protect fish are outdated and unfocused in terms of balancing environmental and economic realities,” the Ashfield statement said.

The statement suggests that the Harper government is siding with industry in a lengthy and intense lobbying battle that has been waged between environmental and corporate lobbyists.

More than three dozen organizations that have registered with the federal lobbyist registry have raised the matter.

The NDP accused the government of engineering a major reversal in Canadian environmental policy.

“The Conservative government is systematically dismantling environmental protection and regulation,” said Donnelly. “By eliminating provisions to protect fish habitat, they can push through their agenda of pipelines, oil super tankers, mega-mines and other projects that harm the environment.”

Langer said in an interview Tuesday that the Enbridge pipeline would cross hundreds of rivers and streams, so looser federal legislation would be a major break for the Calgary company.

Langer said he was told the change would be included in upcoming federal omnibus legislation following the March 29 budget.

The new wording includes numerous exemptions to that watered-down wording to give the minister “or a person prescribed by the regulations” the authority to allow an “adverse effect” on fish considered of value.

Langer said the “subjective and ambiguous” new wording would make the law extremely difficult to enforce.