Mr. Speaker, I am going to use the glass sponge reef again. A very similar concern has been raised.
CPAWS raised the issue that if the moratorium on oil and gas exploration and development off the B.C. coast is lifted, offshore oil and gas activities surrounding the reefs could threaten their future health as these activities would increase the shipping of oil. That could lead to spills, which would threaten the reef's long-term survival.
The member is absolutely right to raise that issue. We are facing that issue in many cases off the coast of British Columbia, where we have, for example, a proposed northern gateway pipeline that is under review. That will increase oil tanker traffic. We have also had the commissioner for sustainability and the environment raise serious concerns about our ability to contain oil spills. Once that oil is in the environment, we know from the experiences with the Exxon Valdez that it is not an easy matter to clean these spills up. The long-term impacts on such fragile ecosystems is unimaginable.
It is very important that those factors be considered at committee.