Environment Committee on Dec. 7th, 2017

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

Yes, Linda.

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

I amended mine to say, “in relation to sustainable development”.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

We have to vote on that amendment, and then we have to vote—

[Olivier Champagne]

I'm not clear on what it's—

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

Linda was suggesting that we take out “environmental, social and economic” and just make it “sustainable development impacts of their policies and operations”. She made the change to try to incorporate that.

To be fair, I need to vote on the sub—

[Olivier Champagne]

She can move.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

She can change it. Linda, you can move your change.

[Olivier Champagne]

She moved it.

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

I'm moving my subamendment to my amendment. Is that what you're saying I have to do?

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

I'm just trying to be careful of what I'm doing here, but I'm being told that it's okay. You moved it, and we'll vote on your amended motion.

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

I'm moving the amendment with that change.

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

It's the amended motion and the amendment itself.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

Correct. It's the amended amendment.

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

Right.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

All those in favour of NDP-7?

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

That's NDP-7 as amended.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

Yes.

(Amendment negatived)

Okay, we're now going to do—

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

We're now on LIB-3.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

Yes, we're now going to go on to LIB-3. Thank you.

Is there any further debate or discussion on LIB-3?

(Amendment agreed to on division [See Minutes of Proceedings])

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

If it had included policies, I might have voted for it.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

Well, you could have...I'm moving on.

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

You're not going to include it anyway, so there is no point in debating it.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

All right, jolly good.

The next one is NDP-8.

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

During this committee's review of the act, well before the bill was tabled, we heard from a wide array of experts, including the current commissioner and the former commissioner, who is now head of the International Institute for Sustainable Development. I think they heard from some international experts as well. They certainly heard about laws in other jurisdictions. The strong recommendation was made across the board that a more senior authority should be overseeing this.

I could not submit an amendment to replace the responsibility vested in an official within the Department of the Environment because I can't add a part that hasn't been amended. In lieu of that, however, I am making a further amendment to clause 8 of this bill, adding that the “Queen's Privy Council”—in other words, the PCO—also be empowered to issue policies and directives. That was a recommendation by this committee.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

Is there any other further discussion on Ms. Duncan's amendment, NDP-8?

(Amendment negatived [See Minutes of Proceedings])