The Liberal government should be protecting jobs more than turtles, birds, and snakes, charges Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak.

Decrying measures protecting endangered species that undermine business and agriculture, Hudak told 700 rural municipal politicians he would slash “the more than 300,000 regulations, outdated rules, and runaround that you have to cope with just to get something done.”

In a speech Tuesday to the Rural Ontario Municipalities’ Association (ROMA) conference at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel, he pledged action if the Tories win an election that could come later this year.

“We also need to address the Endangered Species Act. In 2003, there were exactly 19 species listed — today, well over 121,” the Conservative leader said.

“We’ve all heard the stories about the outdated rules of preventing farmers from harvesting their hay when a bobolink (bird) happens by; the gray ratsnake stopping industrial or business development in eastern Ontario; the wood turtle that is grinding forestry to a halt in the north,” he said.

“The problem is that these rules are not actually working for anyone. They’re not actually protecting endangered species and they’re not allowing our agriculture and business sectors to grow.”

Hudak, noting red tape costs Ontario economy $11 billion a year in lost productivity, vowed to use “verifiable science not political science” to determine what animals to protect.

“Government shouldn’t make rules just because it can, because it wants to keep bureaucrats busy,” he said, blaming the Liberals for wanting to “freeze northern Ontario in time” like a museum.

Natural Resources Minister David Orazietti pointed out the assessment and classification of endangered species is conducted by experts on the arms-length Committee on the Status of Species at Risk in Ontario.

“Protecting species in Ontario is not a partisan issue,” Orazietti said in an interview.

“Right now we have about 99 endangered species and 56 threatened species,” he said, adding five species have been successfully brought back since 2008 thanks to improvement to their habitat.

“Any attempt by Mr. Hudak to politicize this issue is . . . not responsible. As far as the number of species that we’re protecting . . . there’s more science today. We know more about these individual species and what they need for habitat protection.”

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath, who in her speech to ROMA delegates had warned against “simplistic solutions” to complex problems, said protecting animals requires a balanced approach.

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“There are lots of important parts of our ecosystem that need to work together to be able to have a healthy environment,” Horwath said. “What we need to do is engage farmer and engage First Nations and engage all people really in that endeavour.”

Ironically, the Liberals came under fire last year for weakening endangered species’ legislation — largely to help mining firms — by allowing those engaged in “infrastructure maintenance, repair or replacement” to kill animals or destroy their habitat.