Environment Committee on June 11th, 2024

[Branden Leslie, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

We've had a number of provinces testify that the range has been anywhere from zero to maybe three meetings, if I could summarize them collectively, so the engagement, in my view, has not exactly been robust.

Would you be willing to table a summary of all those engagements? I assume you've done a “what we heard” report in the development of this, and I'm less concerned about online forms, particularly for the provinces that have the regulatory jurisdiction over water. Could you table that with this committee?

[Daniel Wolfish]

We'd be able to provide you documentation on what we heard in our consultations with Canadians, with indigenous representatives and with the provinces and territories.

[Branden Leslie, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Thank you.

How much money has been spent thus far in standing up the Canada water agency?

[Daniel Wolfish]

I would have to get back to you on the numbers that we've spent in this past fiscal year, but it would be the equivalent of the salaries for the people who work in the program and the implementation of our freshwater programs. We can get back to you on how much was spent or is being spent in 2024-25.

[Branden Leslie, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

How many employees are there?

[Daniel Wolfish]

The agency is composed of the employees who were working on water previously in the various disparate units across the department. That's in the range of around 120 employees, who were working on various water programs and who have now come into the agency. Also, we've hired a few more to work on the policy and the coordination issues in the past year, and we're starting to build our corporate services.

[Branden Leslie, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

How many of them are EX employees?

[Daniel Wolfish]

In our executive cadre, we have nine, including me.

[Branden Leslie, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Have you allocated any dollars for any actual specific projects?

[Daniel Wolfish]

Indeed, we have a call out for programming for the Great Lakes. We have a call out for Lake of the Woods and for Lake Simcoe. We have a call out for Plan Saint-Laurent, and we are preparing calls for the other remaining freshwater ecosystem issues.

[Branden Leslie, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Could you table a summary of the entirety of those projects with this committee?

[Daniel Wolfish]

We could table for you those for which we have decisions. For those that we have a call out on, we don't have the decisions yet on what those projects will be, but we can certainly table with you what the call has been—the purpose of the call.

[Branden Leslie, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Will the agency have any regulatory powers?

[Daniel Wolfish]

The agency will not have regulatory powers, no. The regulatory authorities for the minister that come from the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, the Fisheries Act or the Migratory Birds Convention Act that deal with water will remain with the department.

[Branden Leslie, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Will you monitor water flows and/or quantity or just water quality?

[Daniel Wolfish]

Water flow will continue to be done by the Meteorological Service of Canada. Water quantity, the science work, will continue to be done by Environment and Climate Change Canada's science and technology branch.

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Time's up.

I now give the floor to Mr. Ali, who is participating in the meeting by video conference.

[Shafqat Ali, Liberal, Brampton Centre, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to the witnesses for being here today.

My first question is about the Canada water agency's relationship with the provinces.

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Mr. Ali, could you—

[Shafqat Ali, Liberal, Brampton Centre, ON]

Mr. Chair, I'm getting a call from the House for Commons, maybe the technical side.

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Yes. You need to have your screen on in order to participate.

[Shafqat Ali, Liberal, Brampton Centre, ON]

I have my screen on.

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Okay, there's a problem then.

We'll go to Mr. van Koeverden and then come back to you in the second round.

[Shafqat Ali, Liberal, Brampton Centre, ON]

Yes, please.

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Okay, thank you.

Mr. van Koeverden, go ahead, please.