Thank you, Mr. Chair.
The Library of Parliament report very clearly indicates what has been the concern all along. If the members of the Conservative Party had actually listened to the witnesses, they would have understood what the problem was.
On page 7, there's a quotation from The North American Free Trade Agreement: A Comprehensive Guide that indicates what the problem is. The final sentence reads: “Once a resource is exploited by being extracted or collected, it becomes a product and is subject to these and other NAFTA provisions.
So essentially water is not a good, now, until bulk exports begin. Once bulk exports begin, then it is subject to NAFTA. That is what has been very clear from testimony all along. Hopefully members of the Conservative party will now understand what the dynamic is. It is not protected by NAFTA. If it becomes a product, essentially a resource that is extracted or collected, it would then fall under the NAFTA agreement.
So, when this comes down to a question of Quebec jurisdiction, the problem...If another province, like Newfoundland and Labrador or British Columbia, decided to export water, it would have an effect on all other provinces. This is why I believe that Mr. Cardin's motion is very useful for the Canadian federation as a whole. If we export water, water becomes a commodity under NAFTA. This is why I think that this motion is valuable and important. A few little improvements have been added, and I hope that it will have the support of all four parties at this table, at least those parties that understand the dynamics and the repercussions that are to be expected once exports begin.