I agree with what you're saying, but I look at it from a different angle. Yes, I'd love to look at the technology and I'd love to look at climate change. You know how driven I am as an environmentalist to try to deal with these issues. At the same time, I want to make sure that what we accomplish here is carried out with the independence we're supposed to have. That's why we spent the time that we did working with Mr. Amos to try to put forward an ambitious agenda for this committee that is not going to be duplicitous.
We identified areas that Mr. Fast, Mr. Eglinski, and Mr. Shields brought up around water, migratory birds, and conservation. There are issues that you brought up on climate change and we wondered about the best way to address these issues. But climate change legislation will likely be referred to committee, so why would we go down that path right now when it may come back to us later on?
There is an order we need to take in order to try to accomplish and maximize the energy and the efforts of this committee. I think the three motions Mr. Amos has put forward address some key areas that are very important to Canadians and that exercise the independence of this committee, while eliminating the duplication that would result from going after climate change or technology, since there could be other ministries and other committees that would be going after the technology, the clean-tech area.
I'd like to see us focus on areas in which we can have an impact. These are areas that the government and the ministries, the departments, are definitely looking at, but that we can drive forward because it's not as front of mind. It is extremely important to Canadians that we deal with these pressing issues.
CEPA is something that hasn't been reviewed in a decade. The wildlife areas, the national parks, these are areas that are in desperate need of having assessments and amendments. It is the same with the Federal Sustainable Development Act.
Once again, if we are not going to lead on sustainability as a government, then how do we expect others to follow the path of trying to establish sustainability within our society? It starts with us. We have an opportunity to lead and to drive that forward for the rest of Canadians.