Foreign Affairs committee  We understand that. You also raised the very valid point that there are provinces like British Columbia that have actually moved for bulk water export. If we rely on provincial legislation, I don't think we're doing our job as federal legislators. We're certainly not responding

Foreign Affairs committee  We still have this problem with relying on provincial jurisdiction and it ultimately leading to entrenching bulk water exports as a good through NAFTA. I would like to come back to the loophole clause, which basically doesn't set any limits in terms of container size and doesn't

Foreign Affairs committee  Thanks very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Miller, when we were in the last go-round, you said you didn't think the scenario Mr. Tilson outlined would be possible, but you didn't point to any clause of the bill where there would be a restriction or restraint on an export of bulk water as,

Foreign Affairs committee  On the exemption on water export, because there's no cap on the size of the container, you could be looking at a tanker rail car containing up to 80,000 litres or 90,000 litres.

Foreign Affairs committee  What was your intent?

Foreign Affairs committee  That's my next question actually. The problem here is that because there are loopholes in this federal legislation, if a province chooses to issue an export water permit, there is nothing in this bill that prevents that. As you know, Mr. Miller, we've seen activists in places

Foreign Affairs committee  You agree that there is no limit on the size of the container, right? That's a loophole, and you've agreed to look at it, and we appreciate that, but there is a massive loophole, a loophole the size of a railway car in this bill.

Foreign Affairs committee  Mr. Chair, I hear comments from the other side, but I'm just reading the bill. “Bulk removal”, which is, of course, prohibited by the bill, “does not include the taking of a manufactured product that contains water, including water and other beverages in bottles or other containe

Foreign Affairs committee  You certainly can, Mr. Miller.

Foreign Affairs committee  —but you admit there is no—your intent was 20-litre containers. The bill doesn't say that.

Foreign Affairs committee  Fair enough, but I think Mr. Tilson's point is a very valid one. We could be looking at 80,000-litre to 90,000-litre containers that are leaving because of the exemption here. This is something that's a source of concern. What that does is it diminishes paragraph (b) under subc

Foreign Affairs committee  Thank you very much, Mr. Chair, and I thank Mr. Dewar for giving me a second crack at this. Mr. Tilson's comments were particularly interesting. We're looking at what would be a bulk transfer of somewhere around 80,000 litres to 90,000 litres per tank car. I certainly apprecia

Foreign Affairs committee  I do.

Foreign Affairs committee  You said 20 litres. That's not in the legislation, right? Right now there's nothing in there that—

Foreign Affairs committee  I understand, but would you not agree that this is something that needs to be clarified? If your principle, in approaching this bill, is to limit bulk water exports to 20-litre containers, and it's not actually contained within the bill, would you not agree there's a loophole?