Environment Committee on Nov. 17th, 2025

[The Chair, Liberal, Angelo Iacono]

I call the meeting to order.

Good morning, colleagues.

Today is meeting number 14 of the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development. This meeting is taking place in a hybrid format and is in public. We have witness testimony for the full two hours.

Those in person, please follow the health and safety guidelines on the cards found on your table to prevent audio feedback incidents.

Before we begin, I have a few announcements to make about study budgets. I would like the committee to adopt the four budgets distributed by the clerk a few weeks ago, since we need these amounts to reimburse the witnesses for the cost of their appearances and cover the expenses of our own logistics.

Is it the pleasure of the committee to adopt a budget in the amount of $500 for the briefing with Environment and Climate Change Canada?

All in favour....

[David Bexte, Bow River, CPC]

I have a point of order. We're not getting any translation.

[The Chair, Liberal, Angelo Iacono]

I'm sorry about that.

I'll start over.

I would like the committee to adopt the four budgets distributed by the clerk a few weeks ago, since we need these amounts to reimburse the witnesses for the cost of their appearances and cover the expenses of our own logistics.

Is it the pleasure of the committee to adopt a budget in the amount of $500 for the briefing with Environment and Climate Change Canada?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Chair, Liberal, Angelo Iacono]

Is it the pleasure of the committee to adopt a budget in the amount of $500 for the briefing with the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada and the Canada Water Agency?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Chair, Liberal, Angelo Iacono]

Is it the pleasure of the committee to adopt a budget in the amount of $47,700 for the study of the electric vehicle availability standard?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Chair, Liberal, Angelo Iacono]

Is it the pleasure of the committee to adopt a budget in the amount of $49,500 for the study of the effectiveness, potential improvements and capability of Canada's 2030 emissions reduction plan?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Chair, Liberal, Angelo Iacono]

I've lost my bet, so I owe a coffee. I thought that Mr. Leslie would challenge one of the amounts and that, as a result, I could have had coffee with you.

[A voice]

[Technical difficulty—Editor]

[The Chair, Liberal, Angelo Iacono]

I missed you.

[Voices]

Oh, oh!

[The Chair, Liberal, Angelo Iacono]

Okay.

The committee is beginning its study on the essential habitat of the copper redhorse in the Verchères Islands.

I would now like to welcome our guests who will be testifying today.

From the Department of Natural Resources, we have Jeff Labonté, associate deputy minister, by video conference; from the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada, we have Patricia Brady, Madame Elisabeth Gill and Mr. Bram Sepers; and from the Major Projects Office, we have Dawn Farrell.

From the Montreal Port Authority, we have Julie Gascon, Julien Baudry and Nathalee Loubier.

It's a pleasure to meet you. We're happy to welcome you to the committee.

We will hear opening statements from the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada, the Port of Montreal and the Major Projects Office.

Witnesses will each have five minutes to make their presentation. While they are answering questions or making their presentation, I will hold up a card to indicate that they have one minute left to finish up. To avoid interrupting, I will flip the card over, to let them know to please end their sentence.

We'll start now with Ms. Brady.

Ms. Brady, you have the floor for five minutes.

[Patricia Brady, Vice-President, Strategic Policy and Programs, Impact Assessment Agency of Canada]

Thank you, Mr. Chair and honourable members.

My name is Patricia Brady. I'm the vice-president of strategic policy and programs at the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada. I'm joined here by two colleagues, Bram Sepers, executive director of communications at the agency; and Elisabeth Gill, director of our Quebec regional office, who is onscreen.

I'd like to begin by acknowledging that we're on the unceded territory of the Anishinabe Algonquin nation.

We are pleased to appear before the committee today to provide information on the environmental assessment of the port terminal expansion project at Contrecoeur.

We will also discuss the provisions of the Impact Assessment Act, or IAA, related to projects on federal lands that apply separately to the compensation project.

The IAA sets out impact assessment requirements for major projects. Those projects are listed in regulations under the IAA called the “Project List”. That list includes only major projects. Since 2019, only about nine projects per year have met the thresholds in the list to be subject to the federal assessment process.

The port terminal expansion project at Contrecœur is a major project and was assessed under the Impact Assessment Act's predecessor legislation, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012. This assessment, which included indigenous consultation and public participation, concluded in February 2021, with the Minister of the Environment’s report and decision issued on March 1, 2021, which included conditions to mitigate adverse effects, including a habitat compensation plan related to the copper redhorse.

The implementation of that compensation plan was separately subject to provisions of the Impact Assessment Act that apply to projects that aren't designated on a project list and that are carried out on federal lands such as national parks, military bases and first nations reserves. Those requirements are separate and very different from the requirements for major designated projects under the act.

To give you a sense of volume, more than 1,000 non-designated projects are subject to these federal lands requirements each year, and they include a broad range of project types of varying sizes, such as constructing office buildings and hospitals, installing wharves and breakwaters, replacing culverts and installing water treatment systems. For those types of projects on federal lands, relevant federal authorities are responsible for determining the potential environmental effects of the project. The Impact Assessment Agency has no role in those determinations under the act.

There are more than 75 federal authorities in total, including departments, agencies, Crown corporations, ports and airport authorities, among others.

Under the act, before undertaking a project on federal lands or authorizing or funding one, the federal authority must first determine whether a project could cause significant adverse environmental effects. This includes a requirement for public transparency. At a minimum, a notice called a “notice of intent” must be posted on the Impact Assessment Registry, inviting the public to provide comments. Federal authorities have broad discretion to decide how they'll make their determination, including the information they need or additional public engagement activities, given the specific project circumstances.

IAAC's role in federal lands assessments is limited. Its two main functions are as follows. The first is to provide guidance to federal authorities about their obligations under the IAA in respect of these federal land provisions. The second is to host information on the authorities' federal lands assessments on the Canadian Impact Assessment Registry, which IAAC maintains, though each federal authority has its own account and makes postings to the registry directly.

Thanks again for the opportunity to be here, and my colleagues and I would be happy to answer questions.

[The Chair, Liberal, Angelo Iacono]

Thank you, Mrs. Brady.

Julie Gascon, you have the floor for five minutes.

[Julie Gascon, President and Chief Executive Officer, Montreal Port Authority]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Good morning, members of the committee.

Thank you for the opportunity to provide an update on the Contrecœur expansion project, a generational project that meets a strategic need for Quebec and Canada.

Every day, the Port of Montreal and its workers support thousands of jobs, including exporters and manufacturers, and ensure that essential products arrive across the country. However, to continue to play that role, the Port of Montreal must increase its capacity and act now, as it takes five years to build a terminal.

The Contrecœur project will create 3,770 jobs per year during construction and more than 10,000 jobs to manage its operations, and it will support nearly 400,000 jobs with the goods that will be transported through it. Among other things, the project will use Canadian materials and build on existing infrastructure, namely the rail network and Highway 30, which provide access to 66% of the Canadian population and to 75% of the country's manufacturing capacity.

In terms of the environment, this is one of the most regulated projects in Canada, and it involves commitments over several decades. The terms and conditions of the project require consultation with federal, provincial and first nations authorities. That is what we have done to satisfy everyone.

Our consultation process has been transparent and ongoing.

In 2012, we held initial meetings with the communities. Following those meetings, between 2016 and 2019, we held public hearings based on an impact assessment report.

In March 2021, the former minister of environment and climate change issued a favourable decision statement with 387 conditions for completion.

In May 2024, we submitted applications for authorization to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

In July and September 2024, we presented the feasibility study and the draft project for the design of facilities for copper redhorse grass beds to first nations, federal and provincial government agencies, cities, regional county municipalities, the Conseil régional de l'environnement de la Montérégie, the Comité de concertation et de valorisation du bassin de la Richelieu in Richelieu, the Zone d'intervention prioritaire des Seigneuries and the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

On April 29, 2025, under the Impact Assessment Act, we posted the notice of intent on the Canadian Impact Assessment Registry for the facilities for copper redhorse grass beds on Île aux Bœufs.

In July 2025, we sent a notification to the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada about the start of the preparatory work for the construction of the terminal.

In October 2025, we obtained an initial authorization for compensatory measures.

The support provided by the major projects office has enabled us to continue development without any acceleration measure or regulatory exemption for a very simple reason. Our permits from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans were first issued in 2012, and after the amendments to the act in 2019, we had to redo the process. We then engaged with the Impact Assessment Agency, which issued its decision with 387 conditions in 2021. It's important to understand that the agency's decision followed the Department of Fisheries and Oceans' confirmation that permits could be issued under the Fisheries Act and the Species at Risk Act.

From 2021 to 2024, we did our work and, in May 2024, we resubmitted our permit applications under the new 2019 legislation.

We have met all the deadlines and followed all the steps required by all the legislation.

Over a period of more than 10 years, we have completed or planned seven compensation plans and 24 monitoring programs. Some of the key measures include the creation of 27.7 hectares of fish habitat in the Boucherville Islands, the planting of more than 40,000 plants, the building of new aquatic grass beds for the copper redhorse, the protection of habitats of bank swallows, waterbirds such as the great blue heron, the kingfisher and the American bittern, and a number of fish and amphibian species, as well as the use of electrical and hybrid equipment to reduce emissions and noise.

By expanding in Contrecoeur, we use the lowest-carbon mode of transport, which is maritime shipping, and avoid thousands of additional truck kilometres to U.S. ports.

Is my time up?

[The Chair, Liberal, Angelo Iacono]

Go ahead and finish your last sentence.

[Julie Gascon]

If we lack capacity, importers and exporters will rely on the next best option. For us, it's the port of New York.

Our objective is clear. It's to lead by example and show that economic growth and environmental protection can reinforce each other.

[The Chair, Liberal, Angelo Iacono]

Thank you, Ms. Gascon.

The floor is yours, Ms. Dawn Farrell, for five minutes.

[Dawn Farrell, Chief Executive Officer, Major Projects Office]

Good afternoon. My name is Dawn Farrell. I'm the chief executive officer of the Major Projects Office. Thank you for having me here to discuss the Contrecoeur terminal container project.

As you know, the office was established around two months ago. On September 11, the Contrecoeur terminal container project was referred to the Major Projects Office as part of the first set of projects referred by the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister announced a second set of projects last week. We are maintaining the pace and working diligently to find the best path forward for these nation-building projects.

Projects being referred to the office are the kinds of major projects that will build Canada. They are the kinds of projects Canada needs to connect our economy, diversify our industries and trade opportunities, and create high-paying careers, while protecting the environment and upholding the rights of indigenous peoples. Our office has been working closely with the Government of Canada, provinces and territories, industry proponents and indigenous peoples to evaluate projects that would offer the greatest benefits for Canadians and that we can move quickly on to meet the moment.

Major projects have been brought forward in a number of ways, including by proponents, indigenous groups, premiers—through first ministers' meetings—and many other ways through federal departments and ministers.

Once a project is referred to our office, we work with proponents, provinces and territories, and indigenous peoples to find the right path forward for each project. Depending on the type of project and its stage of development, as well as its status, requirements and milestones, this could include many options, including options that focus on streamlining permitting processes and structuring financing.

Many of the projects referred to the office will not be designated under the Building Canada Act. Designation is just one tool the office may recommend, but regulatory streamlining and financing can be accomplished in many ways. We seek the best course of action to advance a given project quickly so the proponents are provided the certainty they need to make their important investment decisions.

With regard to Contrecoeur, at the time it was referred to the office, this project was well advanced in the federal regulatory system, as you've heard today, including having completed federal environmental assessment. Since then, the work of the office has primarily been focused on structuring financing for the project to ensure that investment decisions can be made.

We understand that a federal land assessment under the Impact Assessment Act was conducted for Contrecoeur compensatory measures for the copper redhorse and that this committee may have questions around this process. The office did not play a role in this assessment. As the entities responsible for conducting this federal lands assessment, Environment and Climate Change Canada and Fisheries and Oceans Canada would be best placed to answer questions this committee may have.

It's my pleasure to answer any questions you may have related to the Major Projects Office here today.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Angelo Iacono]

Thank you, Ms. Farrell.

We will start now with the Conservative party for six minutes.

Mr. Ross, the floor is yours.

[Ellis Ross, Conservative, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

My first question is for Ms. Elisabeth Gill.

This project, you said, was basically approved in 2021, but now we're really looking at outstanding fisheries permits, as per new legislation.

How many permits are we looking at that need approval for this new amendment?

[Patricia Brady]

I can start that, but I think perhaps Madame Gascon would be better placed to comment on any outstanding permits.

I understand that the Fisheries Act authorization that was outstanding was granted just a couple of weeks ago, in October.

Whether or not there are other federal permits, I'll let my colleagues from the port respond to that.