Evidence of meeting #5 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 warawa.
A recording is available from Parliament.
9:55 a.m.
Liberal
The Vice-Chair Liberal Francis Scarpaleggia
Yes, I suppose it would.
I have a question for Mr. McGuinty. What do you see as the timeline for that? Maybe the analysts could add something as well, but is this something that should be done very soon, or is it a medium-term objective?
9:55 a.m.
Liberal
David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON
It's not an urgent matter, but with all the due respect I have for Mr. Warawa, I think he should know his file.
This is a mandatory kickback here to this committee. We have to examine this as it goes forward, and I think it would be important to, given that the government ratified it with the support of all parties. It's a good piece of legislation for the country. It compels the government to do many things, and I think we would need at least a day, one meeting on this, to be brought up to speed on how this is proceeding—at least one.
It's not an unserious matter. It compels the government to do an awful lot of important things.
9:55 a.m.
Liberal
The Vice-Chair Liberal Francis Scarpaleggia
If you agree, Mr. McGuinty, maybe we could take that information to the steering committee.
9:55 a.m.
Conservative
Mark Warawa Conservative Langley, BC
Mr. Chair, my question is what is the timeframe for that review? When is it required to take place? Is it the fall? It was in the fall that this came into force.
10 a.m.
Committee Researcher
It came into force on June 26, 2008. The strategy has to be finalized within two years after that, so it's not required to be finalized until June of 2010. This committee must be provided with 120 days' review of the draft prior to that. At the very latest, it would be a year from now that we would receive that draft; however, there was some indication that the draft would be coming substantially earlier than that.
10 a.m.
Conservative
Mark Warawa Conservative Langley, BC
Then I think that in a practical sense, with a lot on our plate and 22 meetings, this may be something we would consider a year from now.
10 a.m.
Liberal
The Vice-Chair Liberal Francis Scarpaleggia
Yes, sure—or the committee can revisit it. If the draft is ready in two months, we might want to have a meeting on it. I think there's a good sense that this is an issue we have to look at. Maybe we can have the steering committee work out the details, if everyone agrees.
Ms. Duncan, do you have a point?
10 a.m.
NDP
Linda Duncan NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
I'm feeling the urgent need for us to get a list of the statutory and international law obligations and what the deadlines are for those reports. I don't have my statutes with me, but I know that under CEEA, there is a statutory obligation for either the Senate or the parliamentary environment committee to review CEEA, and I believe that's by the end of this year.
I think it behoves us to take a look at what the deadlines are in each one of these statutes before we make a decision.
10 a.m.
Liberal
10 a.m.
The Clerk
Mr. Chair, we've requested a list from the department for that exactly. I also understand—I hope I'm not misspeaking—that the analysts are working on it as well, because we want it checked against the list they give us to ensure that it is complete. That is part and parcel of proper planning, to know what the mandate of the committee is.
10 a.m.
Liberal
The Vice-Chair Liberal Francis Scarpaleggia
I think we'd like to have all that by next Monday's steering committee meeting, so that we can do some productive work.
Mr. Bigras.
10 a.m.
Bloc
Bernard Bigras Bloc Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC
Mr. Chair, the whip has just informed me that there have been some discussions among the whips. The House will very likely be informed about the study of the bill on species at risk. That has just happened.
As regards other business, I am somewhat surprised to hear through the media that the government and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency are in the process of providing briefings to environmental groups. They are telling them that we will be amending the Environmental Assessment Act so that some projects will no longer have to go through environmental assessment, not just projects that cost $10 million or less, as the Minister of Infrastructure said, but also certain other projects as well.
I have the impression that something is happening behind closed doors, without Parliament's knowledge. I would find it completely unacceptable that civil society groups are being informed about amendments to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act to remove from its coverage certain projects that come under the National Energy Board or Atomic Energy Canada, when parliamentarians have not been informed of this.
What explanation can there be for the fact that civil society groups are aware that legislative changes will be made to the Environmental Assessment Act, while we parliamentarians are being kept in the dark? I do not know whether the parliamentary secretary could tell us whether the government intends to amend the Environmental Assessment Act.
10 a.m.
Liberal
The Vice-Chair Liberal Francis Scarpaleggia
Thank you, Mr. Bigras.
Mr. Woodworth would like to make a comment.
Is it on the same subject? Would you prefer to give the floor to Mr. Warawa? Otherwise, would you care to comment?
You are on the speakers list. Would you like Mr. Warawa to answer Mr. Bigras, or would you like to go ahead?
10 a.m.
Conservative
Stephen Woodworth Conservative Kitchener Centre, ON
Let Mr. Warawa go ahead. I was still back on Mr. McGuinty's point. Mr. Bigras seems to have moved past it.
10 a.m.
Liberal
10 a.m.
Conservative
10 a.m.
Conservative
Mark Warawa Conservative Langley, BC
This would have been a good question for Mr. Bigras to ask the minister. The minister was here for an hour a couple of weeks ago, so I do not have anything to report to him at this time.
10 a.m.
Conservative
Stephen Woodworth Conservative Kitchener Centre, ON
Back to Mr. McGuinty's point and the question of the review of the federal sustainable development strategy, I appreciate that Mr. McGuinty has put that on our radar, but it seems to me that the most we can appropriately do at this time is just to ascertain whether or not that draft is ready yet for us, or will be between now and June. If it's not ready for us, then I guess that solves the whole issue of whether it's part of the planning process we're engaged in, for now to June.
10:05 a.m.
Liberal
The Vice-Chair Liberal Francis Scarpaleggia
Indeed, that's fairly close to how we're going to approach this for the time being.
Ms. Duncan.
10:05 a.m.
NDP
Linda Duncan NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I want to follow up Mr. Bigras' very good point.
It is very critical that we very urgently be briefed by the government on what is happening with the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act. He very validly is saying that through the budget bill there are backhanded changes being made to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, which should be validly tabled before this committee.
We've only discovered through a backdoor, again through NGOs and not through the government, that they have referred the review of CEAA to the CCME, which is not provided for in the statute. So we urgently need clarification on what the plan of action is by the government on the statutory requirement for the review of CEAA.
10:05 a.m.
Liberal
The Vice-Chair Liberal Francis Scarpaleggia
Ms. Duncan, is that the kind of question that could be brought to the minister when he appears on the budget main estimates, or do your foresee a different way of doing it?