I always thank people who ask questions about this legislation. I was talking with Ms. Rempel earlier about how great the questions have been and how non-partisan they've been. The direction of the questions is really all about protecting Sable Island. It's a very heartening process. It's a very encouraging process. I want to thank you and the committee for conducting this meeting and these hearings in that fashion. It really underlines the respect and fondness that we all have for Sable Island.
Being designated as a national park has a number of advantages. It will guarantee a number of important protections and regulations for the island. It will help ensure that the beautiful wild and fragile island will remain as it should be for generations to come. This legislation will protect Sable Island as it deserves to be protected and as how so many people who care for the island want it to be protected.
Designating this national preserve was a truly joint effort. Working collaboratively with our federal partners and other stakeholders, the team first evaluated which protection legislation would work best to legally protect Sable Island for the future. The assumption has always been and continues to be, Mr. Chair, that the status quo is not sustainable, that in a world where the coast guard is changing its role and where lighthouses are not as necessary, the status quo is just not sustainable. In fact, the law as it stands is a bit of an anachronism.
It became abundantly clear that the best choice was to advance Sable Island for designation as part of the national parks system. Through the federal-provincial agreement, we began pursuing this plan. We then worked on the best way forward while considering various interests, including offshore petroleum resources. With that in mind, both the provincial and federal governments agreed to present legislation to prohibit drilling on the surface of Sable and out one nautical mile.
The legislation will provide protection for the island while allowing access to the island for activities such as the emergency evacuation of offshore workers and for low-impact petroleum exploration activities. These activities and any such activities will require adherence to a code of practice for the protection of the island and will be regulated by the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board in consultation with Parks Canada.
We have the utmost confidence in our partners' ability to serve as regulators for this code of practice. After three decades, the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board has developed a great deal of experience in this area, and Parks Canada is well versed in the environmental protection, conservation, and stewardship needed to ensure the island is safe and secure both now and in years to come. Parks Canada has been a committed partner in this process, and the consultation itself was a vote of confidence in Parks Canada and its ability to manage this heavy responsibility.
Once this legislation is enshrined in law, Sable Island's surface will never again be drilled. The petroleum companies strongly support this measure and volunteered to amend their discovery licences to follow this provision. These licences have now been amended and were approved by the federal and provincial ministers.
We strongly support the development of a memorandum of understanding between Parks Canada and the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board to develop a protocol for low-impact petroleum activities and the way they may or may not be conducted on Sable Island. We are committed to this process and the public consultation that will help shape and support the memorandum of understanding.
Public consultation is a key part of the shared responsibility. Those of us who have been involved in Sable Island for a number of years now know that the public cares passionately about Sable Island, and any time you have public consultation, you will have a very open, transparent, and vigorous process.
We have been engage along with Parks Canada in consultation with Mi'kmaq representatives on the creation of the national park reserve. We are pleased that there has been progress towards an agreement that would see the Mi'kmaq undertake research on and about Sable to help us and them learn more about their ancestors' possible linkages to the island.
Along with the Mi'kmaq, we are truly working together—the provincial government, the federal government, and business—to ensure that the significant cultural heritage and ecological value of Sable Island are understood and maintained. The amendments to the accord act are another step in the process towards completing the designation of Sable Island as Canada's 43rd national park.
The Nova Scotia House of Assembly passed mirror legislation to this effect. Nova Scotia will continue to carry out this important work on Sable Island, such as scientific research and environmental, climate change, weather, and air monitoring. We have made a continuing commitment to stay involved and engaged.
Nova Scotia will provide advice on the ongoing management of the island through the Canada-Nova Scotia offshore committee. We will continue to provide input on a number of topics.
I would like to thank and commend Parks Canada for their consultative approach to the establishment of Sable Island as a national park reserve and for an ongoing commitment to stakeholder inclusion. We look forward to further discussions with Parks Canada as they move forward with the management planning and in the actual ongoing management of this unique site. Sable Island is part of Nova Scotia's and Canada's history, and as part of the national parks system, it will be a special part of the future.
I would like to thank Minister Kent; Minister MacKay; Minister Parker, the Minister of Energy and Minister of Natural Resources; Harold Carroll; a number of other people who've been involved; and all our hard-working staff who have been involved in this process.
I want to thank you for the opportunity to speak here. I look forward to the discussion.