Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Good afternoon. It was very interesting for us, as Justice counsel, to have an opportunity to hear what the commissioners had to say who appeared before us. I hope we can help to answer any other questions that have been raised.
Mr. Bezan has already introduced me and my colleagues Mr. Nielsen and Mr. Melaschenko. Once again, we are pleased to be before you today to answer your questions.
Specifically with respect to the consequential amendment to the Canadian Bill of Rights, that you are surely aware that it is an issue of particular interest to Justice. Mr. Melaschenko and myself will try to answer any factual questions you may have in relation to existing environmental legislation or other such matters in relation to the bill before you.
As you are aware, as Justice counsel, we are not able to provide the committee with advice about potential amendments to the bill, or any other matter that would be covered by solicitor-client privilege.
Given the issue of particular interest to Justice--namely, the amendment to the Canadian Bill of Rights--I'll now turn to that specifically.
Our understanding of the amendment is as follows. By enacting this consequential amendment to the Canadian Bill of Rights, Parliament would--to use the language of the Canadian Bill of Rights--recognize and declare that there has existed and shall continue to exist a right to a healthy and ecologically balanced environment and a right not to be deprived thereof except by due process of law.
Parliament would direct--again to use the language of the bill--that every law of Canada shall, unless it is expressly declared by an act of Parliament of Canada that it shall operate notwithstanding the Canadian Bill of Rights, be so construed and applied as not to abrogate, abridge, or infringe, or to authorize the abrogation, abridgment, or infringement of the right to a healthy and ecologically balanced environment.
Finally, Parliament would direct the Minister of Justice to examine every regulation transmitted to the Clerk of the Privy Council for registration pursuant to the Statutory Instruments Act, and every bill introduced in or presented to the House of Commons by a minister of the crown, in order to ascertain whether any of the provisions thereof are inconsistent with the right to a healthy and ecologically balanced environment, and to report any such inconsistency to the House of Commons at the first convenient opportunity.
With this understanding of the consequential amendment, we will be happy to entertain your questions.