Environment Committee on Feb. 27th, 2019

[Karine Trudel, NDP, Jonquière, QC]

No. Thank you.

My next question is for the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency officials.

Further to Bill C-69, the supplementary estimates set out a $49.3-million increase in funding to date. Will the agency's annual funding remain at the 2018-19 level going forward?

[Alan Kerr]

Thank you, Chair, I'll take the question. With regard to the funds allocated to the agency and how we will continue to live within our appropriation, we have many flexibilities in how we prepare to implement legislation that is still in front of the parliamentary process. We have a couple of different tools for how we recruit staff and how we prepare. We need to be able to respond to the changes in appropriations through future parliamentary processes. I hope that adequately addresses the committee member's question.

[Karine Trudel, NDP, Jonquière, QC]

I gather that you haven't hired any new staff yet. The funding is simply in anticipation of Bill C-69's passage.

[Alan Kerr]

Perhaps I'd clarify my first response to say that in fact the funding to the agency has been in two stages. We received the additional funds in the current fiscal year, and we have hired additional staff. Recognizing that future appropriations have not yet been approved, we make adjustments based on whether we hire indeterminate staff, term staff, or in some cases casuals. We also have opportunities both within the portfolio and across the Public Service of Canada to have deployments of employees to make sure that we have the resources we need to prepare for possible implementation if the legislation is approved through the parliamentary process, and that we also have the flexibility to remain within the appropriations made by future Parliaments of Canada.

[Karine Trudel, NDP, Jonquière, QC]

If Bill C-69 were to be defeated in the Senate, would the contract employees who were hired lose their jobs or not?

[Alan Kerr]

As I said, not all employees are necessarily brought in on an indeterminate basis. Often we have deployments between departments of the Government of Canada. Also, there is a natural turnover of personnel as people move to new or different or more challenging responsibilities in other departments.

I don't think it would be appropriate to conclude that there may be possible losses of jobs because of that constant turnover. As we manage to the uncertainties of the parliamentary approvals, it's a natural part of our business of managing in the public sector in the Government of Canada.

[Karine Trudel, NDP, Jonquière, QC]

Thank you.

Do I have any time left, Mr. Chair?

[The Chair]

Yes.

[Karine Trudel, NDP, Jonquière, QC]

Great.

My last question is for the Parks Canada Agency officials.

Will you spend the funds by March 31, 2019? If so, what land will you acquire?

[Sylvain Michaud, Chief Financial Officer, Parks Canada Agency]

Of course, the plan is to spend almost all of the funds by the end of the year, but delays are always possible. Acquiring land is a multi-step process. If delays arise once the negotiation process has begun, it's not unusual for the acquisition to be postponed until the following year. However, the funding under the vote is specifically for those initiatives. In the case of land acquisition, the funding is not spent until the transaction is completed, however long that may take. For now, our intention is to spend almost all the funding.

You also asked about the land we will be acquiring. The largest portion is to expand the Bruce Peninsula National Park. In supplementary estimates (A), we received $21 million to acquire land in the Bruce Peninsula National Park. I would say that is the biggest amount.

Next is the Lake Superior initiative, with about $10 million in allocated funding. Small amounts for various parks across the country make up the rest.

[Karine Trudel, NDP, Jonquière, QC]

Very good. Thank you.

[The Chair]

Mr. Bossio, over to you for six or so minutes.

[Mike Bossio, Liberal, Hastings—Lennox and Addington, ON]

Thank you all for being here today.

It's too bad that we all weren't here for the outstanding news that you've brought today on a number of different fronts, from Parks Canada to indigenous relations to climate change. There are so many different things that are happening right now in your files that you probably haven't experienced in a long time. It's great to have you here today to share that information.

We're seeing a lot of indigenous engagement. Is that a reflection of the intent around Bill C-69, and traditional knowledge and meaningful consultation that is expressed in the bill? We're already starting to see the intent of Bill C-69 being reflected now in a lot of the engagement that we're seeing with indigenous communities.

[Christine Loth-Bown]

With respect to project assessments, we have always been very active in our engagement with indigenous groups. On a project-by-project basis, the agency has a long history of having a participant funding program. We announce grant and contribution funding for indigenous communities to be able to apply to for their active participation in project assessments. That continues. We have many announcements that have come out with various project assessments to provide funding for that.

In addition, my colleague spoke about workshops that we currently have going on across the country. We had an open invitation under this participant funding program, as well, for a policy dialogue forum.

We are hosting workshops across the country to talk about the policy and guidance aspects of the proposed bill. That's an important component to make sure that as we are developing policy, guidance and potential regulations to support the bill, should it be passed, that we've been able to do those in a way that engages the communities that will be affected.

In addition to the discussions and workshops that are being held across the country with indigenous communities, we also hold sessions with industry, environmental organizations. As my colleague noted, we also continue to support a multi-interest advisory committee, which that is made up of membership from the national indigenous organizations, industry associations, and environmental and non-government organizations as well.

[Mike Bossio, Liberal, Hastings—Lennox and Addington, ON]

Thank you so much for that extensive answer.

I see that there is specific funding for the guardians program. It's something that Mr. Amos and I have really advocated strongly for, because we see its importance. We went to Gwaii Haanas and Haida Gwaii and saw the impact that the Watchmen had there, and then we had Steven Nitah come here to committee and talk about the rangers in the north, with Valerie Courtois speaking about the guardians. Do we see, in the engagement that's happening with the guardians and those other entities, a role for them under a future Bill C-69 in the impact assessment area?

[Christine Loth-Bown]

With respect to those two programs, I think they are excellent examples of where indigenous communities have been able to get more active in the conservation and protection of their communities and the environment. Under Bill C-69, there's the opportunity for the minister to establish monitoring committees, and I think that's an important component of a project assessment.

We've heard a considerable amount of feedback from indigenous communities, and from other communities as well, in that they want the opportunity to be actively involved in the monitoring over the long term of the implementation of a project, in order to ensure that the conditions and the parameters that go around the approval of a project are lived up to at the end of the day. There's the opportunity under Bill C-69 to have very active monitoring committees and to sort of extend on a similar nature to what some of these programs are offering.

[Mike Bossio, Liberal, Hastings—Lennox and Addington, ON]

Thank you, Christine.

To go to Parks Canada, I see a lot of great work being done with Thaidene Nene in the Bruce Peninsula and Lake Superior park initiatives. Is that a reflection of the $1.3-billion investment in protected spaces? Are we now starting to see the fruits of those investments moving forward through these types of initiatives?

[Michael Nadler]

It's a complementary phenomenon. The funding—

[Mike Bossio, Liberal, Hastings—Lennox and Addington, ON]

I know that these were being worked on for a very long time, but I don't know if this has helped to put them over the top.

[Michael Nadler]

Yes, exactly. Over the past successive federal budgets, we have seen investments in conservation that are allowing these establishment efforts to continue and expand our national parks terrestrially and our national marine conservation areas in the marine areas and the ocean.

What the nature legacy funding will allow us to do, though, is strengthen our conservation of these areas for the future. The funding that's going to Parks Canada out of that significant budget 2018 investment will actually ensure that these places are protected, stored and conserved for generations to come. We're strengthening our science capacity and our ongoing conservation capacity with that funding.

[Mike Bossio, Liberal, Hastings—Lennox and Addington, ON]

You mentioned some developments at Gwaii Haanas. Can you expand on that a little? I didn't really catch the full picture. I did realize that there were some developments there, so that was a pleasant surprise, having been there and seeing just how incredible a place it is and how magical it is

[Michael Nadler]

Forgive me, but can you remind me, sir, whether the committee visited Gwaii Haanas as group? Or did you—

[Mike Bossio, Liberal, Hastings—Lennox and Addington, ON]

Yes, as part of the protected spaces study that we did.

[Michael Nadler]

I should have known that. I apologize.

[Mike Bossio, Liberal, Hastings—Lennox and Addington, ON]

That's all right.