Mr. Chair, this goes back to the earlier conversation we had in terms of the immediate designation of an interim marine protected area. Under the new act, the minister can, without any consultation with stakeholders, implement an interim protection area. This amendment requires that the minister provide a 60-day consultation period before using his or her powers under the act. The witnesses expressed concern that the consultation process for this bill was less than stellar—I think we all heard that—and was more of a briefing or information session, really a one-way dialogue rather than two-way with our stakeholders.
We propose to amend clause 5 in Bill C-55 by replacing line 4 on page 3 with the following:
(2) The Minister may, following a 60-day consultation period, by order, designate a marine pro-