Thank you so much.
Mr. Chair, my motion specifically indicated “in light of the recent charges brought against Volkswagen in December 2019 under the CEPA, following this investigation by Environment and Climate Change Canada”. That was the language in the motion. I have to admit I'm feeling a little bit disappointed that we have witnesses who were not there at the time and cannot necessarily speak to the direct experience of what happened. Being briefed on what happened is different from actually being able to question someone who was involved in the investigation.
With that said, I think the Volkswagen case has been referred to as one of the worst environmental crimes committed in Canada, and Canada's response to it has been characterized as hesitant, weak, inadequate. One of the criticisms was around the length of time it took. In the U.S., the EPA issued a notice of violation to Volkswagen in September 2015, and about a year and a half later the company pleaded guilty—actually less than that, in January 2017—to three criminal felonies, whereas Environment and Climate Change Canada began investigating in September 2015, and charges were only laid four years later, December 2019.
We've heard testimony that the agreed statement of facts from the U.S. would be legally admissible in Canadian courts, that the testing done in Canada was used as evidence by the U.S. government, so why did it take four years to charge Volkswagen here in Canada?