Evidence of meeting #111 for Environment and Sustainable Development in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was definition.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Deb Schulte
We are voting on just this amendment.
I am getting.... This is the last time.
Conservative
Ed Fast Conservative Abbotsford, BC
By way of clarification, Madam Chair, are we purging this whole bill of the term “traditional knowledge”?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Deb Schulte
No. We are going to go through and look at every place it comes up. I was going to try to do it in a group, but we are not. We are going to go through every time to make sure people are comfortable.
Conservative
Ed Fast Conservative Abbotsford, BC
I understand the process. That was a rhetorical question. Are we going to actually purge the term “traditional knowledge” throughout? The argument that has been made by Mr. Bossio and by our civil servants is that the term “traditional knowledge” is too limited and that the term “Indigenous knowledge” is more expansive. Am I hearing from the Liberals and our civil servants that the term “Indigenous knowledge” is now going to replace “traditional knowledge” throughout this bill?
That would be a question for Mr. Rochon.
Counsel, Department of Justice
That would be correct. That is the gist of why we have a definition that indicates that indigenous knowledge is the knowledge of the indigenous peoples of Canada. It's in direct reference to what we consider indigenous peoples' [Inaudible—Editor].
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Deb Schulte
Thank you very much. I appreciate the discussion.
(Amendment agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])
The next is NDP-1c. You can find the text within the original NDP-1 in the package of amendments.
NDP
Linda Duncan NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
I submitted them all separately. If you want me to go back to the consolidated one, I'll go back, because I can't follow you.
NDP
Linda Duncan NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
The 1(c) is the 1.3. It is the view of a number of witnesses that the second paragraph of the preamble was limiting. At the end it says:
...and the [now indigenous] knowledge of the Indigenous peoples of Canada into decision-making processes related to designated projects.
We would like to take out the latter words, “related to designated projects”, and leave “decision-making processes” as is. Again, that is because this bill also deals with strategic and regional assessments, which don't necessarily deal with designated projects.
It should say that the Government of Canada recognizes that impact assessments provide an effective means of integrating scientific and indigenous knowledge into all processes for impact assessment, not just the review of designated projects.
The intent is to remove those last four words, “related to designated projects”.
NDP
Linda Duncan NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
It does. It ends at “decision-making processes”. That's exactly what the amendment says.
Liberal
Liberal
Liberal
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Deb Schulte
We're looking at lines 16 and 17, where it says “decision-making processes related to designated projects”.
NDP
Liberal
