Good morning, everyone.
I'd like to thank all the witnesses for being with us today.
I'd have liked to be with you in person, but to avoid spreading little germs, it was a better idea for me to attend the meeting from my office.
I'll start with you, Mr. Ginsberg.
We believe that the government can amalgamate its policies in the act, which is fine. However, we have no illusions about the likelihood that the act will positively contribute to protecting nature and biodiversity.
For a long time, we've been calling on the government to stop making decisions that are incompatible with its own biodiversity objectives. We want it to stop paying lip service.
I'm going to talk to you about an announcement made earlier this week about the Vista coal mine. You can probably see where I'm going with this.
On December 6, the president of the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada announced that the project to expand phase II of the coal mine over approximately 630 hectares will continue without any assessment.
If no assessment is done, how can we know what impact it will have?
Your organization, Ecojustice, has said that, once expanded, the Vista mine would be the largest thermal coal mine in Canadian history.
Doesn't a free pass for coal like this thwart the potential gains of Bill C‑73when it comes to nature accountability?
A free pass will certainly not help us meet our objectives, will it?