Thank you very much, Mr. Chair, and I would like to thank all of our witnesses for being here. The reduction of plastic waste is incredibly important for citizens in my riding of Vaudreuil—Soulanges, so thank you for lending your expertise to this discussion.
Mr. Puckett, I'd like to start with you.
You stated that the bill narrowly focuses on the issue of plastic waste being exported for final disposal but leaves the issue of plastics destined for recycling largely unaddressed, which many stakeholders across Canada have flagged as severely problematic. As a result, the bill would not deal with plastic wastes that are exported for recycling but go to countries that are not in a position to effectively recycle mixed or contaminated plastic waste.
Can you expand on why this is a huge omission and how the bill will essentially do little to tackle the “heart of the problem”, as you put it, which is exports destined for recycling?