Evidence of meeting #32 for Environment and Sustainable Development in the 41st Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was cosia.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to our guests for coming and for sharing your stories.
I’ll begin with very quick questions about the appointment. It's a secondment for a year? Is that what you said, Ms. Fairburn?
Chair, Shareholder Steering Committee, Canada's Oil Sands Innovation Alliance
Again, in hiring Dr. Wicklum, an extensive search was done for him. My understanding is that the people who did the hiring worked very closely with Environment Canada to make sure. Yes.
Chair, Shareholder Steering Committee, Canada's Oil Sands Innovation Alliance
Yes.
Chair, Shareholder Steering Committee, Canada's Oil Sands Innovation Alliance
For clarity, it's unpaid leave of absence for one year.
Liberal
Chair, Shareholder Steering Committee, Canada's Oil Sands Innovation Alliance
No.
Liberal
Chair, Shareholder Steering Committee, Canada's Oil Sands Innovation Alliance
My understanding is it's an unpaid leave of absence for one year.
Liberal
Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON
For one year. And will he be going back to Environment Canada?
Chair, Shareholder Steering Committee, Canada's Oil Sands Innovation Alliance
That's a discussion that has been held with Dr. Wicklum and others, so it's not something I'm really able to comment on as the chair of the strategy committee.
Liberal
Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON
That's fine.
What practical changes do you expect to be made as a result of your organization?
Chair, Shareholder Steering Committee, Canada's Oil Sands Innovation Alliance
That's a great, broad question, and we've formed this organization because we really want to accelerate.
Liberal
Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON
Okay, let me bring the question again. For example, you've mentioned water and greenhouse gases. You said there are four priority areas, and I don't think we've heard them. So what are the specific goals in each of those areas?
Chair, Shareholder Steering Committee, Canada's Oil Sands Innovation Alliance
The four priority areas are tailings, as Alan referred to, water, greenhouse gases, and land. We recognize that those are four areas that matter to Canadians, and they're our priorities.
Chair, Shareholder Steering Committee, Canada's Oil Sands Innovation Alliance
By the end of 2012 we will have rolled in the existing organizations. We will also have developed our strategic plans and goals. So we're on the journey right now to developing those goals.
Liberal
Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON
So right now there are no goals for those four priority areas?
Chair, Shareholder Steering Committee, Canada's Oil Sands Innovation Alliance
We're actively working across all the companies towards getting the best inputs. So we've set informed goals, yes.
Liberal
Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON
Okay. We know there's going to be a new water monitoring program. There have been concerns that this is not going to be an independent body. Since you are a science-based organization, will you be asking that this be an independent body?
Chair, Shareholder Steering Committee, Canada's Oil Sands Innovation Alliance
Just to reiterate, COSIA is an innovation and science organization, so we're not involved in policy and advocacy.
Liberal
Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON
Okay.
I appreciate that you believe the environment and the economy are inextricably tied, as do we. There's been much change in the last week. With the budget implementation bill we have cuts to scientists, 200 scientists; we have the repeal of CEA; there are major changes to fisheries. The reality is about 120 pages of the budget are devoted to “environmental streamlining”. I'll use the terminology that's used here.
Have you ever seen this before?
Conservative
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Centre-North, AB
I would ask my colleague to keep her comments relevant to the scope of this discussion today and to the outcome of positive environmental outcomes as a result of the Canadian Oilsands Innovation Alliance.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Mark Warawa
Okay. We have a point of order, and you wanted to speak to the point of order.