Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Clause 10 has been added first and foremost because of concerns about accessing environmental information through the federal government. It's not a new problem, but the recent grade for the Minister of the Environment was an F. So it adds “reasonable, timely and affordable”. There have been concerns about the fees and delay in providing the information.
The very purpose of this provision is to deliver in law on the commitments by the Government of Canada on the right to participate and access to information. It delivers on the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation article 1, article 2.1, article 4.1, and article 4.2. In articles 4.1 and 4.2 particularly, Canada commits to advance notice and opportunity to comment on any proposed law and policy. That is why this provision has been added.
Secondly, indeed there are some provisions, specifically in CEPA, but there are many environmental statutes that do not make specific provisions. The intent of this bill is to do an override to ensure access to environmental information by Canadians.