It's okay. I don't think I'm going to get a clear answer.
There's a lot of concern expressed in testimony to us about how vague the extension of the public right is. That was the main reason for the lack of public trust in the federal assessment process, that erosion of the public's and indigenous peoples' right to participate. All that it says in the bill is the agency must ensure that the public has an opportunity to participate. There have been suggestions that we could add in adjectives like “reasonable” or “effective”.
Why was there no provision, and do you think that the department will be open to a provision to require regulations where there's consultation on what the specified rights are, the right to cross-examine, the right to table evidence, and so forth, because right now there essentially is no guaranteed right?