If your question is directed to spill response in particular, I think it's a challenging question. I think the NEB recognizes it's a challenging question, and that's why it's front and centre in the Arctic offshore hearing.
Specifically, the NEB has indicated that in the scope of its review it will be examining the issue of responding effectively when things go wrong, such as the effectiveness and availability of spill containment and cleanup options under Arctic conditions, financing spill cleanup, restoration and compensation for loss or damage, and the state of knowledge about long-term impacts of a spill on the environment.
When I read between the lines of that scope of inquiry, my understanding is there are a lot of uncertainties with regard to what happens if there's a spill in the Arctic? Is there capacity? I think the short answer can be seen when you look at the length of time it took to bring the Macondo well under control and the number of vessels that were brought in. Over 700 vessels were brought in. There's no way 700 vessels are going to get to the Arctic.
Every spill is a different situation. There are small spills and large spills, and obviously the BP incident was a large one. It points to the fact that the NEB wants civil society, industry, first nations, and citizens' input into these what-if questions. It has jurisdiction to deal with the regulatory regime for drilling in the north. However, it's fair to say there are others, such as the coast guard, who would be engaged. There are a whole suite of other players who would be engaged, including territorial governments. First nations governments would be involved as well, because the Inuvialuit have a land claim settlement up north. It would be complicated.
The challenge in Canada is that this is just the Arctic. Then you have to look at what happens out east, because there's a whole different set of arrangements. We have the two different offshore petroleum boards that have different lines of accountability for spill response.
I don't think Canadians are comfortable with the idea that they don't understand how things work. The reality is that highly intelligent people--and I presume the vast majority of us around this table consider ourselves highly intelligent people--don't fully grasp how it would work and what would happen if there was a spill. I don't think that's acceptable.