Evidence of meeting #3 for Environment and Sustainable Development in the 43rd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was process.
A recording is available from Parliament.
10:05 a.m.
Liberal
10:05 a.m.
Bloc
Monique Pauzé Bloc Repentigny, QC
Thank you, Madam Chair.
You said earlier that certain projects were subject to the old act and that you can now choose which act you are subject to. How long will that choice last? For example, if Teck Resources reintroduces its Frontier project, will it be subject to the old act or the new act? When does it end?
10:10 a.m.
Vice-President, Operations Sector, Impact Assessment Agency of Canada
After the old process is over, the projects will be subject to the new act.
10:10 a.m.
Bloc
Monique Pauzé Bloc Repentigny, QC
What about new projects? You said that, at the present time, you could decide whether your project would be subject to the old process or to the new one. When will that choice stop?
10:10 a.m.
Director General, Regional Operations, Impact Assessment Agency of Canada
Anyone whose projects were subject to the old act had 90 days to subscribe to the new process. That period has now expired, and all of those projects will continue to be subject to the 2012 act.
10:10 a.m.
Bloc
Monique Pauzé Bloc Repentigny, QC
Okay, thank you.
Earlier, we talked about casting a wide net—forests, diversity, water, international obligations, social stuff—but there is less time. The time for studying projects is shorter. You're getting there, but I find it a bit odd that there are more criteria, but less time for studying projects.
10:10 a.m.
Vice-President, Operations Sector, Impact Assessment Agency of Canada
Yes, that's right. Under the new process, the agency, the proponents, and our federal partners have more obligations, and we need to get involved earlier in the process. We have received additional resources on a project-by-project basis to manage these new responsibilities.
10:10 a.m.
Bloc
Monique Pauzé Bloc Repentigny, QC
I have another question.
In the impact assessments, are you going to consider what is called the life cycle assessment? Do you calculate the construction, the operation, and the exports, so that environmental impacts are not constantly postponed until the next stage?
10:10 a.m.
Director General, Regional Operations, Impact Assessment Agency of Canada
In the assessments, we ask for information and studies for every stage of a project. It starts with construction, followed by the operation phase, all the way to decommissioning. The analysis takes into account the entire life cycle.
10:10 a.m.
Liberal
10:10 a.m.
NDP
Laurel Collins NDP Victoria, BC
I want to follow up one of the questions by Mr. Aitchison about the sunset clauses. It sounded like the new assessment process allows for sunset clauses, but I'm not clear on what the process would be for deciding when to put in a sunset clause and what the timeline for that would be.
10:10 a.m.
Vice-President, Operations Sector, Impact Assessment Agency of Canada
It would be something that would be considered throughout the evaluation process. As we look to determine whether a project is in the public interest and look at the potential mitigation measures, we would need to assess the environment.
10:10 a.m.
NDP
Laurel Collins NDP Victoria, BC
Can you give me some examples of what would trigger a sunset clause?
10:10 a.m.
Vice-President, Operations Sector, Impact Assessment Agency of Canada
I think we would want to look at including a sunset clause in most, if not all, of the projects as we move forward, just because the environment does change and projects do change. We would want to be sure that any mitigation measures that we were to look to put in place would remain relevant. Hopefully it will be something that we'll be considering for every project.
10:10 a.m.
NDP
Laurel Collins NDP Victoria, BC
Great.
Many of the oil sands projects that have gone through this old process haven't actually been started or built or constructed. I'm just curious: To what extent, when we're thinking about how a project that's now going through the assessment process impacts our ability to meet our climate commitments, are we taking into account all of those unbuilt approved projects under the umbrella of what our potential climate situation is?
10:10 a.m.
Vice-President, Operations Sector, Impact Assessment Agency of Canada
Certainly, as we look at potential mitigation measures and the climate plans that are in place in individual jurisdictions, we want to, as we go forward, ensure that climate plans are consistent with our overall obligations. We would be looking at each individual project and the merits of each individual project they'd be making.
10:10 a.m.
NDP
Laurel Collins NDP Victoria, BC
Are you looking at the merits of each individual project in the context of our ability to meet our climate commitments and the context of how close to or far we are from meeting those climate commitments?
10:10 a.m.
Vice-President, Operations Sector, Impact Assessment Agency of Canada
It would be a consideration, but so would cumulative impacts—looking at the broader cumulative impacts of development in the region.
10:15 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Yasmin Ratansi
I'd like to thank the witnesses for being here. If you have any additional information that you were not able to share with the committee, please provide it. Some requests have been made by committee members that the clerk will be sending.
I'll suspend the meeting for a few minutes. Then we'll come back to committee and continue in public.
10:15 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Yasmin Ratansi
Committee members, we are in public. As you see, the analysts from the Library of Parliament have decided to submit to you the paper that you see before you, especially for the sake of new members.
They were asking whether the committee would like them to speak for two minutes. If the committee agrees, then I will allow them to speak for two minutes.
Is that okay?
10:15 a.m.
Some hon. members
Agreed.
February 25th, 2020 / 10:15 a.m.
Alison Clegg Committee Researcher
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