Environment Committee on Nov. 5th, 2014

[Stephen Woodworth, Conservative, Kitchener Centre, ON]

Mr. Chair, I reject categorically the notion that the protection of natural ecosystems and cultural landscapes and the maintenance of wildlife and the health of those ecosystems are in any way mutually inconsistent such that we would need to make one a priority over the other. I think they are all interdependent, and I think the clause is fine as it is.

[The Chair, Conservative, Harold Albrecht]

Is there any further debate?

Mr. McKay.

[John McKay, Liberal, Scarborough—Guildwood, ON]

As I said at the beginning, if you have no priorities, which this bill doesn't, because it says everything is a priority, you're going to be taking into consideration this, that, and the other thing without any definition of what's to guide anybody—

[The Chair, Conservative, Harold Albrecht]

Mr. McKay, unless you have new material, I'd like to move to the vote.

Is there any further—

[John McKay, Liberal, Scarborough—Guildwood, ON]

There's no hurry here. We're in no hurry, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, Harold Albrecht]

No, we're in no hurry, but we don't have to waste time.

[John McKay, Liberal, Scarborough—Guildwood, ON]

Well, thank you for that observation, but I don't particularly consider my interventions to be a waste of time. I don't know about you, but I don't consider them to be a waste of time.

[The Chair, Conservative, Harold Albrecht]

If we're repeating what has been said, we are wasting time. That would be my definition.

Is there any further debate?

[John McKay, Liberal, Scarborough—Guildwood, ON]

Well then, Mr. Chair, you should intervene on all debates on the floor of the House of Commons, especially on the Conservative side.

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Oak Ridges—Markham, ON]

I think we're ready for the question, Mr. Chair.

(Amendment negatived [See Minutes of Proceedings])

[The Chair, Conservative, Harold Albrecht]

Amendment NDP-3 is in order.

[Megan Leslie, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Do we go to amendment PV-3a before that?

[The Chair, Conservative, Harold Albrecht]

That's the one we just defeated.

[Megan Leslie, NDP, Halifax, NS]

I thought we defeated amendment PV-3.

[The Chair, Conservative, Harold Albrecht]

No. Amendment PV-3 was placed by Ms. May, and because she's not here, we have to go to amendment PV-3a. You have to have a person here to move the motion.

[Megan Leslie, NDP, Halifax, NS]

It has been a while since we've done clause-by-clause consideration, so I'm rusty.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, Harold Albrecht]

No problem.

We're on amendment NDP-3.

[Megan Leslie, NDP, Halifax, NS]

This is getting at the essence of what we've just heard and the debate around amendment PV-3, which is specifically taking into account ecological health and making ecological integrity one of the top priorities. This is based on evidence we heard at committee, notably from CPAWS and also from the York Region Federation of Agriculture's Ms. Empringham, who stated that two of the guiding principles for Rouge national urban park are to maintain and improve ecological health and scientific integrity and to respect and support sustainable agriculture and other compatible land uses.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, Harold Albrecht]

Is there any further debate on amendment NDP-3?

Mr. McKay.

[John McKay, Liberal, Scarborough—Guildwood, ON]

Well, I know you consider this to be a total waste of time—

[The Chair, Conservative, Harold Albrecht]

Not at all.

[John McKay, Liberal, Scarborough—Guildwood, ON]

—but I'm going to repeat myself, Mr. Chairman.

[The Chair, Conservative, Harold Albrecht]

It's a new clause.

[John McKay, Liberal, Scarborough—Guildwood, ON]

As much as I support this amendment, without the definition of either “ecological health” or “ecological integrity”, we have no priorities. They can't be the top priorities unless they're actually defined, so it's totally open season in the park for whatever the current management thinks is a good idea.

[The Chair, Conservative, Harold Albrecht]

Is there any further debate?

Mr. Choquette.