It isn't my first area of expertise by a long shot, but my colleagues who are working on the chemical management plan inputs from our association are just down the hall, so I do overhear the importance of confidential business information.
We have ways of sharing information and keeping the information confidential. The government has spent a long time at the public service level engaged in ways to protect confidential business information. There's a difference between knowing and having the information to make good decisions on health, safety, and the environment, on the proper treatment of chemicals, and transportation, and so on, and being obliged to release it. There is a whole series of rules and regulations on how to protect confidential business information. We have a lot of confidence that this government knows how to protect that information and respect it. It then comes down to being credible in what you claim to be confidential versus what is already publicly available.
We are strong supporters of the chemicals management plan and how it works. We also have a very strong ally, coincidentally, in the United States. They would like to see the Canadian CMP used as a model around the world and as a counterpoint to the European REACH program, which we frankly find is the wrong way to go at things. However, both systems require protecting confidential business information as it is that which allows the private sector to differentiate with their products and to have comfort in compliance with regulations, that in doing that they are not going to be giving something up of real commercial value, because it will be protected by the public service system and not released.
I think we have a way of making the system work. We just have to be diligent.