Thank you very much.
The importance of the issue is indeed that, for example, the Fisheries Act would become engaged, for example, in an undertaking by Hydro-Québec that would alters waterways, and that therefore might potentially cause significant environmental harm. The power the federal government now has is to consider such situations and to enter into agreements with the provinces, which do contemplate some significant environmental harm for good reasons because of the significant benefits of such a project. However, as we've seen throughout this act, the ability of the federal government to enter into such agreements will now be constrained by the courts. The court will have, under clauses 16 through 19, the ability to order that such agreements be set aside if the court determines that the federal government has acted in a way that contravenes the act and that causes significant environmental harm. Consequently, the court will be in a position to order the agreement set aside and the undertaking remediated.
It just takes all of that federal-provincial decision-making out of the hands of the federal government and the provinces and places it in the hands of a judge. This is a highly significant feature of this act, one which in my view is extremely unfortunate and which justifies not proceeding with this act.
Thank you.