Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I guess the first thing I would like to address is the question of the rights of foreign agents, which are referred to in clause 12. I don't think that any other statute anywhere else in Canada—although I stand to be corrected—has given rights to foreign agents to participate in Canadian policy on the environment or anything else, simply by their opening an office in Canada. I think, although I stand to be corrected, this will be the first time in history that a statute has granted such rights to foreign agents.
It certainly goes beyond the provision in clause 6 that talks about safeguarding the rights of Canadians and ensuring that Canadians have access to adequate environmental information. Clause 6 at least does restrict itself to simply giving rights and protection to Canadians.
I suppose the reason that we are giving foreign agents these rights in clause 12 and elsewhere in the act is that this bill is specifically designed to be tailored to a variety of international interest groups, who have made their submissions—