Environment Committee on May 10th, 2018

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

Thank you very much.

We're on PV-35, Ms. May.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Madam Chair, I would like to propose an amendment.

At our meeting on Tuesday, I was told that it would be possible to introduce an amendment now.

I would therefore like to introduce an amendment to remove paragraph (b) from section 32.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

Okay. Go ahead, please.

[The Clerk of the Committee, Mr. Philippe Méla]

Would you happen to have a written copy of the amendment?

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

No, I don't.

It's just removing something. I propose that paragraph (b) be removed from section 32.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

Sorry, are you making an amendment?

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Yes.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

Okay, so you're bringing an amendment on the floor.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Yes.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

Can you please repeat it so that we have it accurately?

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Absolutely

Madam Chair, I propose an amendment that removes paragraph (b) from section 32, on page 25.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

The amendment that's being proposed on the floor is that we remove proposed paragraph 32(b), which is under Exceptions, on page 25.

Is that okay?

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Madam Chair, I would like to explain why I want to remove paragraph (b) from section 32.

I think that paragraph (a) is sufficient and that identifying some pieces of legislation is restrictive. I would like it to be more general.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

That's a good explanation.

Here's the situation. We have to go in order of the lines. We're jumping ahead, because your lines start at line 8, and there's an amendment here going from line 5. I have to deal with that one first.

If that one passes, then yours would not be allowed. Let's see what happens with PV-35, okay?

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

You have to keep me on my toes here.

All right.

Ms. May, you're first.

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

That's the goal of amendment PV-35.

This is to remove lines 5 to 13, again found under the “Exceptions” section—so we're in the same ballpark here—and replace them, as follows: “The Minister must not approve the substitution of a process in relation to a designated project” unless [Technical difficulty—Editor] “requested by a jurisdiction referred to in paragraph (c) or (d) of the definition jurisdiction...without the written consent of...Indigenous [people] that may be affected by the carrying out of the designated project”.

This again is essentially looking at indigenous consent on substitution of projects and was a recommendation of West Coast Environmental Law.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

Okay. I understand what you're doing.

All those in favour of the amendment?

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

I'd like a recorded vote.

(Amendment negatived: nays 8; yeas 1 [See Minutes of Proceedings])

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

We're now on Mr. Godin's amendment. We've had the explanation, so shall the amendment—

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Please don't call that yet. I wanted to have an explanation from the officials about what the different implications are if (b) is there or (b) isn't there.

[Christine Loth-Bown]

I apologize, Ms. Duncan. Could you repeat the question?

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

For those who may have missed it, the amendment that's on the floor proposes that in the section “Exceptions”, proposed paragraph 32(a) stands and (b) is removed.

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

My question would be, if that is removed, is it possible that there would not be a review under this bill, and that it would be reviewed by one of those offshore boards instead?

[Christine Loth-Bown]

That is my understanding of that proposed amendment, yes.