In any case, the principle of this bill is identical to that of the previous bill introduced by the Leader of the Opposition.
In fact, in September 1994, only two months ago, in an interview with the Gazette , the Leader of the Opposition referred to this legislation as his baby''. During the 1993 election campaign, he made a reference to the legislation in an interview on <em>Le Point</em> , when he said:
We must support this legislation''. I remember several instances during his previous and present mandate when he supported the principle of this bill.
One can use quotes to prove anything, but perhaps we should also quote what was said by the people of the Quebec centre of environmental law who say this legislation is entirely legiti-
mate. Perhaps we should also quote lawyers Michel Bélanger and Franklin Gurter, and see what they have to say. Lawyers do not all think alike.
But the crucial point is that today, yesterday and the day before, there have been assessments in areas of joint jurisdiction. I explained this to the hon. member for Laurentides the other day. I mentioned several cases: the Port of Cacouna, the Lachine Canal, the Sainte-Marguerite River. Today, she stressed this would be impossible under the present legislation. Prove it! In fact, the legislation has an active provision that allows for administrative agreements with all the provinces, individual agreements under which this kind of joint assessment can be done in an entirely normal and active way. So there is nothing in this legislation to discourage the kind of joint assessment that was done in the past.
The government has no intention of interfering with provincial environmental assessments. She talks about the BAPE as though the BAPE in Quebec were going to disappear. She talked about Quebec's environmental assessment process as though it would cease to exist. Of course it will continue, as will everything else, the same way as in the past. Except that today, in accordance with a formal commitment we made during the election campaign, in the red book, we decided to proclaim this legislation which was initially introduced several years ago and then put on the back burner for a number of years, for no good reason. So at least we had the courage to proclaim it. From now on, all environmental assessments will have to be done on a co-operative basis.
I think the minister made that quite clear. She got in touch with her counterparts, both Mr. Paradis and Mr. Brassard, to explain that the federal government did not intend to encroach on the provincial government's exclusive jurisdiction, but nevertheless, it has certain rights and duties, as ruled by the Supreme Court, that must be respected and that include doing environmental assessments where necessary. I do not see that as an encroachment by centralist federalism and all those big words the hon. member for Laurentides mentioned with such resentment.