Mr. Chair, although I agree with the intent of the amendment, my concern is about reporting to Parliament after a year and the ability to collect the evidence and data that we need in order to do that. I think it might be more appropriate if we consult throughout the whole process rather than to put in legislation that they have to report within a year, simply because we heard from witnesses that it will take longer than a year to determine the effectiveness of an MPA. Because it doesn't give us the time or the ability to collect the data that is needed to see if something is working, I won't be supporting this.
On December 7th, 2017. See this statement in context.