I do support this amendment. I just have a quick question in preparation for later amendments.
In my notes, with my work with others in preparation for going through clause-by-clause, I've noted that I have a question about paragraph 27(2)(c), which is “monitoring”.
If you'll just bear with me, I might want to submit a subamendment based on the response, but I want to buy time before we get to it, so that we can make sure to avoid a long suspension based on the response.
For example, with regard to “monitoring”, I have a question for the experts. When we include “monitoring”, I'm wondering about the laboratories. I know that there are licensed laboratories that perform tests. When we're including “monitoring”, is there a consideration of the lack of resources that exists in northern communities?
Here's an example. When the James Bay Cree in northern Quebec need to perform drinking water tests, they don't have a licensed laboratory close enough to them, so their drinking water tests are performed in Thunder Bay. I don't know how long it would take to get those specimens to Thunder Bay.
Another example that I can speak directly to is this: Right after I was elected in Nunavut in 2021, Iqaluit experienced major issues with water. We had a boil water advisory for months. We had bottled water flown in by jets for months. Because Nunavut doesn't have its own licensed laboratories, I believe, to perform that drinking water test to monitor it, I believe the water had to be sent to Winnipeg—I'm not too sure.
I'm just wondering, when we're talking about “monitoring” in paragraph 27(2)(c), if that helps to ensure that those scenarios are covered, or if we need to make sure that licensed laboratories that perform drinking water tests in northern communities need to be included to reflect the need for those resources.