Environment Committee on May 14th, 2008

[Some hon. members]

No.

[Maurice Vellacott, Conservative, Saskatoon—Wanuskewin, SK]

I'm talking about the three years we discussed earlier, which is a different thing.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

Mr. Warawa, I am looking for your guidance here.

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley, BC]

I am moving amendment G-9.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

Everybody now has the motion that we're receiving from Mr. Warawa, amendment G-9 on page 19. Basically, this replaces everything in clause 8.

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley, BC]

Can I share the...?

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

Sure. Could you give us your logic?

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley, BC]

I just realized we're going to have to come back to clause 5, but we can do that on the 26th.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

We thought we'd do that when we come back. We can fix it.

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley, BC]

This refers to the schedule. We heard from a number of witnesses. The costs were going to be horrendous. I don't have the exact quote, but it was huge. Actually, here it is. It was Mr. Mitchell talking to Mr. Watson:

I would say that the schedule, as it now stands, covers the waterfront. If you were to expect a strategy to address all of this, you would be looking for a plan that was simply too huge and too complicated to be manageable, implementable, developable, measurable.

Anyway, this clears it up. It focuses on preparing short-, medium- and long-term targets in this area, as identified in the schedule. There are approximately 400 areas, with corresponding implementation strategies, and it would be a lengthy, complex, and costly process. It would have vast jurisdictional logistic implications. Further, there is no scientific rigour to the selection of these areas over others. The strategy would be better focused on the key priorities. And we heard that before too.

I could go on, but I think there's a willingness to accept this, or amend it.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

Ms. Savoie.

[Denise Savoie, NDP, Victoria, BC]

I will move a subamendment because the text talks about a federal strategy of sustainable development. I would add “based on the precautionary principle”. That's the subamendment I move.

I would also ask that you call the vote.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

Do you want to put that after subclause 8(1)? At the end of...?

[Denise Savoie, NDP, Victoria, BC]

That's right, “in accordance with this section, a Federal Sustainable Development Strategy based on the precautionary principle”.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

Okay, everybody's following the subamendment that we have, so we have subclause 8(1), as it reads, “based on the precautionary principle”.

[Maurice Vellacott, Conservative, Saskatoon—Wanuskewin, SK]

We haven't passed it, though.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

We have not passed clause 8, no. We're on G-9. We're doing a subamendment to G-9, subclause 8(1). Where it says, “Federal Sustainable Development Strategy based on the precautionary principle” is the subamendment.

Let's speak on the subamendment.

Mr. Godfrey, did you need clarification? And then Mr. Bigras.

[John Godfrey, Liberal, Don Valley West, ON]

The precautionary principle is already in the early part of the bill, as I recall. So what we're talking about is whether that definition, which has been put forward, is now operationalized in the “Federal Sustainable Development Strategy”.

I don't have any objection to that. That would be a good thing, because we've already put it in as one of the principles of the bill, but—

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

It is in clause 2.

[John Godfrey, Liberal, Don Valley West, ON]

It is in clause 2.

[Denise Savoie, NDP, Victoria, BC]

It's the definition. The definition is to operationalize it.

[John Godfrey, Liberal, Don Valley West, ON]

Yes, that's true. So I'd be—

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

Okay.

Mr. Bigras, other comments about this subamendment first?

[Bernard Bigras, Bloc, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Mr. Chair, I think we must ensure that the sustainable development strategy is consistent with what has been started on the international scene. It seems to me relatively important that this strategy conform to the Rio declarations, among others. This way, we would be sure to have a good strategy, but it must be based on the precautionary principle.

I would therefore support this subamendment of the NDP.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Mills]

Okay.

Mr. Warawa.