This involves amendment BQ-3, which reads: That Bill C-469, in Clause 2, be amended by replacing lines 21 and 22 on page 5 with the following:"principle that there should be a just distribution of environmental benefits".
The amendment would eliminate the principle of consistency. So it would remove the word "consistent" from the section as presented.
That there be some kind of fairness is one thing, but that there be some kind of consistency is another. It is the principle of the associated costs and the burden imposed consistently on all Canadians. We think that this will go against the polluter pays principle.
There needs to be fairness. But imposing a burden that would be consistent across Canada could create concerns in Canada. We think that the polluter pays principle should apply and not the principle of consistency in sharing the environmental burden.