To the first point about whether a consultation would change anything, maybe I'll speak to the proposed changes as compared to the bill as drafted.
The bill as drafted allows the minister to post a notice of public consultation if she requires additional information to make her decision after considering the application. In the current drafting that's before you as Bill C-37, it would be discretionary for the minister to determine whether the applicant had submitted sufficient information for her to balance public health and public safety or whether she felt the need to seek additional information. The amendment proposed before you would make that consultation a requirement for 45 days. That would be the difference.
With regard to a set time or a minimum period for government consultations, I don't have experience with the consultation around the issue to which the member referred. I can say that under the CDSA, we post notice of consultation for various reasons. Often it's for notices of intent to propose orders of the Governor in Council, to propose regulations to be made by the Governor in Council, or to propose changes to policies, procedures, guidelines, templates, and that sort of thing. I have seen those consultations range from 30 to 75 days. That's typically decided on a case-by-case basis, based on who you're trying to reach and how much time they require to gather the information to respond to the government consultation.