Evidence of meeting #29 for Environment and Sustainable Development in the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was project.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Bloc
Patrick Bonin Bloc Repentigny, QC
We're told that the agency received a 20‑page project. That document isn't currently available. Could you provide the committee with that 20‑page document that is not available but was submitted to the agency?
Liberal
Julie Dabrusin Liberal Toronto—Danforth, ON
What's always important is that, if you're talking to people who have project ideas, you need to make sure they have the right information about what's happening federally—
Bloc
Liberal
Julie Dabrusin Liberal Toronto—Danforth, ON
I'm trying to find the right wording in French.
Early engagement is good.
It's good for everyone. That way, they can decide whether or not it's a project they want to propose. At this time, there is no decision.
Bloc
Patrick Bonin Bloc Repentigny, QC
I understand, okay.
You say there's no project, but 20 pages were submitted to the agency. Are you prepared to share them with the committee, to make them available to us?
Liberal
Julie Dabrusin Liberal Toronto—Danforth, ON
If someone provides the agency with information or asks it questions, it's not our place to disclose that to the public.
It's business information.
Bloc
Patrick Bonin Bloc Repentigny, QC
Thank you.
I'll move on to the approval of the Bay du Nord project. The government agreed to cover the fees related to the deepwater oil development, among other things, that are payable under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. We're potentially talking about a billion dollars, which would be paid by the federal government rather than by a company.
Do you agree with that? Do you agree with the federal government paying up to a billion dollars in fees, when it should be the company paying it?
Liberal
Julie Dabrusin Liberal Toronto—Danforth, ON
The Bay du Nord project was approved by the previous government.
Bloc
Patrick Bonin Bloc Repentigny, QC
I'm talking about the fees, Minister. I know that it was approved.
Liberal
Julie Dabrusin Liberal Toronto—Danforth, ON
The entire project was approved by the previous government.
Bloc
Patrick Bonin Bloc Repentigny, QC
It's your government that said it would pay the fees. I'm trying to find out if you are comfortable with the government paying the fees—up to a billion dollars—when the company should be paying them.
Liberal
Julie Dabrusin Liberal Toronto—Danforth, ON
What I'm saying is that the project and all its terms were approved by the previous government.
Liberal
Julie Dabrusin Liberal Toronto—Danforth, ON
We work with the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Bloc
Patrick Bonin Bloc Repentigny, QC
Minister, I'm sorry, I will come back to the fees. It was your government, not the previous one, that said the government would pay the fees.
Will you confirm that it was indeed your government that said it would pay the fees, not the previous government?
Liberal
Julie Dabrusin Liberal Toronto—Danforth, ON
—the timelines and the terms, but we're working with the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Bloc
Liberal
Julie Dabrusin Liberal Toronto—Danforth, ON
No, I'm not confirming that. I'm saying that, right now—
Bloc
Patrick Bonin Bloc Repentigny, QC
Your colleague from fisheries spoke about the fees that the government paid.
Liberal
Bloc
Liberal
Julie Dabrusin Liberal Toronto—Danforth, ON
I'm saying we're currently negotiating the terms. It's something we're discussing.
Bloc
Patrick Bonin Bloc Repentigny, QC
Okay. You don't have any figures to provide regarding the amount to be paid by the government. The newspapers mentioned a billion dollars.