To the points that Don Davies made, this is one of the reasons that, on principle, omnibus budget bills of over 600 pages that are improperly studied are offensive on their face.
This amendment relates to changes that are being proposed to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, an act that was initially brought in at first reading by former prime minister Brian Mulroney's administration and carried and brought forward under the government of Jean Chrétien. It has existed as Canadian law for a number of years. The equivalency provisions were brought in to further ensure that there was agreement and coordination between the provinces and the federal government.
What has happened is that the amendments to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act in this omnibus budget bill are significant and have raised concerns from environmental law groups across the country, because the equivalency provisions would essentially be extended without review under the version of the act brought forward at first reading.
PV‑3 proposes the following: “An agreement made under subsection (3) terminates seven years after the date on which it comes into force or may be terminated earlier by either party giving the other at least three”.
It's an attempt to hang on to the principle of what was in the Canadian Environmental Protection Act before Bill C-15, which had not included in the budget itself—which I voted for—the notion that this was going to be included in an implementation act. This is new and it's offensive, and this amendment is an attempt to pull back enough to respect the principles of the act, while at the same time allowing a lessening of the strictures of the equivalency agreements.