Environment Committee on May 5th, 2009
Evidence of meeting #18 for Environment and Sustainable Development in the 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was liability.
A recording is available from Parliament.
On the agenda
MPs speaking
Also speaking
- Renée Caron Executive Director, Legislative Governance, Department of the Environment
- Raymond MacCallum Senior Counsel, Human Rights Law Section, Department of Justice
- Sarah Cosgrove Manager, Legislative Advice Section, Department of the Environment
9:15 a.m.
Liberal
9:15 a.m.
Bloc
Bernard Bigras Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC
It seems to me we agreed at the last committee meeting to ask the Department of Justice to come and make a presentation to us to provide answers to the questions raised by the industry before we proceed with the clause-by-clause consideration. I saw there were some witnesses on the agenda. Does that mean that the Department of Justice officials will be testifying this morning before we proceed with the clause-by-clause consideration?
9:15 a.m.
Liberal
The Acting Chair Francis Scarpaleggia
That's my understanding of the matter.
We will now hear from Renée Caron, Sarah Cosgrove, Linda Tingley and Raymond MacCallum. Mr. MacCallum is from the Department of Justice, Ms. Caron, Ms. Tingley and Ms. Cosgrove from the Department of the Environment.
You are aware that we have invited you first to inform us about certain reservations, certain demands that the marine industry made last Thursday when some of its officials appeared. You know that we've invited you to clarify their concerns. I imagine you've prepared evidence or that you have a few words to say to us before we move on to questions.
9:15 a.m.
Renée Caron Executive Director, Legislative Governance, Department of the Environment
Mr. Chairman, we haven't prepared a presentation, but we are ready to answer all the questions committee members may have.
9:15 a.m.
Liberal
9:15 a.m.
Liberal
David McGuinty Ottawa South, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Good morning, everyone, ladies and gentlemen.
May I ask, first of all, have you read the transcripts of the last meeting?
9:15 a.m.
Executive Director, Legislative Governance, Department of the Environment
Yes, we have.
9:15 a.m.
Liberal
David McGuinty Ottawa South, ON
Okay. Have you synthesized through those transcripts and distilled down from those transcripts, either through questions from us or from the witnesses, the salient points we'd like you to address?
9:15 a.m.
Executive Director, Legislative Governance, Department of the Environment
We certainly have studied that testimony, Mr. Chairman, and we hope we would be able to answer the questions that the members may have.
9:15 a.m.
Liberal
David McGuinty Ottawa South, ON
I see my colleague Monsieur Bigras exhibiting some concern.
We're hoping you're here to address the particulars of the issues raised by the last set of witnesses. We need some guidance here from you as experts. As independent and objective public servants, we need your help in navigating through this. There are different positions that have been put forward to the committee, to Canadians, and to us. We are not the experts, so we're hoping that you have had an opportunity to distill the fundamental questions that have been raised by the shipowners and other parties in the last meeting, and that you are here in a position to provide us with some guidance and some answers about the merits of their concerns and how we ought to proceed, so as parliamentarians and legislators we can make this bill better.
Are we ready to go? I can go into tough questions, but I'm hoping you're in a position in the half hour to help us understand how we ought to proceed.
9:15 a.m.
Executive Director, Legislative Governance, Department of the Environment
Yes, Mr. Chairman, Environment Canada can give a little bit more information to the committee regarding the consultations that were done in relation to the bill. That point was raised. Another key point that was raised, I believe, regarded the impact that the bill might or might not have regarding the economic viability of the shipping industry, in a general sense, but also in relation to their ability to recruit seafarers. We also can address—
9:15 a.m.
Liberal
9:15 a.m.
Conservative
Stephen Woodworth Kitchener Centre, ON
I'm just trying to understand the questions.
I received a letter dated May 4 to Mr. Bezan, the chair, from Cynthia Wright, the acting assistant deputy minister, which attached some detailed responses from the ministry to the issues that were raised by the shipping industry. As a matter of a point of order, I just wanted to be sure that has been given to all of the members, because it seems to me to be the starting point for our discussions this morning.
9:15 a.m.
Liberal
9:20 a.m.
Bloc
Bernard Bigras Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC
I understand what Mr. Woodworth is telling us. However, there was an agreement at the last committee meeting that Department of Justice officials would appear. We've received an explanatory letter from the department, just as certain witnesses who appear before our committee file briefs. That doesn't prevent us from asking witnesses questions. It's not because the department has submitted an explanatory letter that Mr. McGuinty can't ask a number of questions.