Environment Committee on Dec. 7th, 2017

[The Chair (Mrs. Deborah Schulte (King—Vaughan, Lib.)), Liberal, Deb Schulte]

I call the meeting to order.

We'll start the meeting, because we have quite a few amendments to look at.

I want to tell the committee that Paula Brand is at the back. She is the director general, sustainability directorate from the strategic policy branch of the Department of the Environment. She's here to guide us if we ever need any guidance.

I didn't know if you would mind, but I thought she might come up to the table with us, and we can always refer to her if we need to for any clarifications. Does anybody have a problem with that?

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

I don't have a problem with that.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

She's happy in the back, but I thought you might want to bring her up to the table.

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

Sure, bring her up.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

Okay, Paula, please come on up.

Thank you, Paula. I appreciate that. I know you're all settled back there nicely, but it's better to have you here, I think.

I'd like to introduce the legislative clerk, Olivier Champagne. He was here before, but he went away because we weren't ready to do it. He's here today to guide us through the process. There is a script prepared.

If you remember last time we did clause-by-clause consideration, we had an issue. We decided we wanted to do something, but we'd already gone past the point and we couldn't get back to it, so let's make sure that we to go carefully through this so we don't have any “oops” and we can't get back, because I think we need unanimous consent to do that, and that's always a bit of a challenge.

For that reason, I'm not going to rush it. I'm going to go carefully through it. We have quite a few clauses and some of them are embedded or supersede another clause, and there are amendments to things that have been brought by others.

Pursuant to the order of reference on Thursday, October 19, the committee now resumes the consideration of Bill C-57, An Act to amend the Federal Sustainable Development Act.

In summary of the bill,

This enactment amends the Federal Sustainable Development Act to make decision making related to sustainable development more transparent and subject to accountability to Parliament.

That was the purpose of our previous report.

We'll get started. Does everybody have their copies open and everything ready? Okay.

We're going to start with clause 1.

The definitions precautionary principle and target in section 2 of the Federal Sustainable Development Act are repealed.

Shall clause 1 carry?

I just want to make sure everybody is ready.

[Robert Sopuck, Conservative, Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, MB]

Not quite.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

That's fine. I just want us all to be where we need to be.

We are voting. We are moving through. We're starting voting.

[Olivier Champagne, Legislative Clerk, House of Commons]

We can have a debate on clause 1, if you want.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

Okay, when I call it, we can have debate on it, and then we'll vote on it. That's the process.

[John Aldag, Liberal, Cloverdale—Langley City, BC]

Okay.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

Okay, hang on. I know, Linda, you're all set. You know what you're doing, but there are a few of us who are getting to your point.

We are on subclause 2, which is:

The definition Minister in section 2 of the Act is replaced by the following:

Minister means the Minister of the Environment, unless the context otherwise requires.

Is everyone in favour of clause 2?

(Clause 1 agreed to)

Now we have our first Liberal amendment. It's on clause 3. I don't know if I need to read it.

Section 2 of the act is amended by adding the following in alphabetical order

and you see them in the page in front of you: “appropriate minister”, “designated entity”, and entities (a) and (b).

(Clause 2 agreed to)

We are now on clause 3, and we have a Liberal amendment. Who is bringing that forward?

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

I am.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

Go ahead.

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

Do you want me to read it out?

Okay. You've seen the amendment. It's been tabled.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

We have an amendment, LIB-1. If you don't have it in front of you, we'll make sure we get them in front of you.

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

I didn't realize you were amending that section.

[Paula Brand, Director General, Sustainability Directorate, Strategic Policy Branch, Department of the Environment]

I think we're still in clause 1.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

No, we're in clause 3 now.

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

It's on page 1.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

Okay, hang on, guys. This is why I wanted to go slowly, because I think last time we got confused as well.

We did clause 1, and it carried. We did clause 2, and it carried.

[John Aldag, Liberal, Cloverdale—Langley City, BC]

Sorry, but isn't it subclauses 1(1), 1(2), and 1(3), because clause 2....

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

He's right. It's a subclause.

[John Aldag, Liberal, Cloverdale—Langley City, BC]

It's a subclause of clause 1. That's what we're on now.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

Hold on. I would refer—

[John Aldag, Liberal, Cloverdale—Langley City, BC]

It's not an amendment to that part.