Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  In doing that, we have a regulatory responsibility, including as it relates to waste water. We also work with the Department of Indigenous and Northern Affairs, which has program resources to help build the capacity for communities to better manage the environmental risks that may exist as they relate to water and waste water.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  We would work with specific communities in terms of the challenges they may face, whether there is a capacity issue, whether there's a regulatory question, whether there's a specific pollution risk. Through that engagement, we use both our regulatory capacity and our scientific capacity, and our partners at Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada, who have significant programmatic resources to help support communities to manage those risks.

Environment committee  There was one specific commitment made in budget 2016. It was $197.1 million over five years for Fisheries and Oceans to increase ocean and freshwater science monitoring, and research overall.

Environment committee  There is an existing program.

Environment committee  The answer to both questions is no.

Environment committee  The GEMS program is run by UNEP. We remain a part of it. We contribute science in support of the GEMS program. Previously, we were actually the host of the GEMS program. We are not renewing that. That was a decision taken some years ago. Specifically on environmental emergencies, we looked hard at our business model on environmental emergencies to try to find the most effective way to do it, and we consolidated all our efforts into a single centre in Montreal.

Environment committee  Analytically, it is possible to do an analysis of downstream—

Environment committee  It is possible—

Environment committee  —to do an analysis of downstream emissions, but it is very challenging. Even in the upstream emissions methodology that we've published, we described some of what have become qualitative issues that relate to alternative sources.

Environment committee  Yes, as the minister has said, the program has been renewed for funding through 2019, and there were additional funds committed in budget 2016 in order to continue to reduce the overall inventory of federal contaminated sites.

Environment committee  I think the question may relate to budget 2012 reductions that were made across the government in order to help the government achieve its deficit reduction goals. The core monitoring programs of the Department of Environment and Climate Change were not affected.

Environment committee  Thank you, Madam Chair. There was a specific commitment in budget 2016 to renew funding for one year for Lake Erie.

Environment committee  We are fully committed to implementing the law and doing so in a timely and effective manner. I think one of the challenges in developing recovery documents is that we need to engage stakeholders in great detail, both as we continue to enhance our scientific understanding that supports management actions, but also taking into account the full range of lands, federal, provincial, and private, that are often affected when we have to define critical habitat.

Environment committee  We do an estimation of the total impact of wetlands. There are some data challenges in that area, which we're continuing to work on in order to refine those estimates going forward.

Environment committee  I would agree that there are a whole range of co-benefits that arise from wetland conservation. In terms of greenhouse gas emissions, as I understand it, that's been a challenging area methodologically. Only in recent years has the IPCC developed advice for all parties in terms of how to approach GHG emissions from wetlands.