Environment committee  Yes.

Environment committee  Absolutely.

Environment committee  I guess our members would agree that timelines should be identified for key steps in the environmental assessment process. However, our recommendation is that this should be achieved through agreements on key steps and timelines between the proponent and the agency, rather than in the legislation itself.

Environment committee  I'll start off, and then maybe Liam can follow up. In my experience, I would say that social, economic, and environmental considerations are considered in the environmental assessment process. They're well studied in the environmental assessment process. Our concern is that when it comes time to make an EA decision, the balance between healthy environment and healthy economy goes one way.

Environment committee  Healthy environment, which we obviously are looking to achieve as well, but both require consideration.

Environment committee  Thank you. I would start by saying there are existing inclusion lists, exclusion lists, and law lists. Our recommendation would be to work with the existing lists to better define which projects require assessment. I agree with Jamie in saying that the exclusion list regulations are not sufficiently developed.

Environment committee  First, I agree with your comment. There's a lot of innovation in our industry. We could find in a few years' time, say, a new small modular reactor project that isn't on the list. What we would recommend is to go back to the existing list, particularly the exclusion list, and refine it so that minor works and activities, previously assessed activities, or environmental risks are not repeatedly assessed.

Environment committee  Yes, I agree.

Environment committee  We would certainly support an initiative to ensure that they are equivalent. I started working on environmental assessments when it was the environmental assessment review process, and I think I was one of the first people to take the course on the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act.

Environment committee  Yes.

Environment committee  Our argument is that section 24 is very limited to environmental assessments that were carried out for the same sort of activity. At AECL's Chalk River Laboratories there have been about 37 environmental assessments carried out since the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act came into effect.