It could be seen as going backwards or it could be seen as going forward.
The government has committed to restoring public faith in the impact assessment process. Before the Harper government's evisceration of the federal assessment law, these triggers used to exist. Any matter that was under federal jurisdiction, in fact, would trigger a review.
What is happening is that under this bill, with its very narrow definition of designated project, unless the minister and cabinet decide to list a specific project, it's not going to be covered by the bill. There is very, very deep public concern. One of the criteria included here, the one dealing with world heritage sites, was included specifically because of the Mikisew Cree and their experience with the federal government refusing their continuous requests for a federal assessment of the impacts of both the Site C dam and oil sands operations on Wood Buffalo National Park, a world heritage site. Without these additions, they have no faith that a federal assessment will ever be triggered. That is why they have specifically requested that these provisions be added.
There's also the concern that proposals for impact assessments of national parks are continually rejected. There are apparently 500 examples of that happening. So there is strong support for expanding these criteria.