Natural Resources Committee on March 10th, 2011

[Voices]

Oh, oh!

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

I think we heard from not a real doctor earlier.

I have a question around the public interest of this issue. That's what we're trying to get at. The risk implicated when you move the--

[David Anderson, Conservative, Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK]

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair. I'm a little disappointed that Mr. Cullen is taking personal shots at our witnesses. I think he should apologize for that. That's ridiculous. This lady is well respected. She's a medical officer of health. Perhaps he should temper his remarks a bit on this.

[The Chair, Conservative, Leon Benoit]

As you know, Mr. Anderson, unless it gets really aggressive, I allow the members to ask questions in the way they would like. I think the public are the judges of the way they behave at committee.

[David Anderson, Conservative, Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK]

Mr. Chair, calling a medical officer of health for her own Grey Bruce Health Unit a fake doctor is a fairly serious charge.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

That's not what I said. Fascinating.

[The Chair, Conservative, Leon Benoit]

Thank you, Mr. Anderson.

Mr. Cullen--

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Any apologies--

[The Chair, Conservative, Leon Benoit]

Actually, your time is up, Mr. Cullen.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Will you allow me to apologize? If any committee members find offence in what I said, I apologize.

I was trying to ask a question before all that started. Is it possible that I can ask--

[The Chair, Conservative, Leon Benoit]

Your time was up anyway, Mr. Cullen.

[Dr. Gordon Edwards]

Could I have one minute to answer that question? I think it is important to clarify something I said earlier.

[The Chair, Conservative, Leon Benoit]

We have to go on to a new set of questions. The time is for the question and the answer.

We go to the government side, to Mr. Dykstra and then to Mr. Allen, if you're left some time.

[Rick Dykstra, Conservative, St. Catharines, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Chief Plain, in the report itself there are about four pages dedicated to aboriginal consultation. I listened closely to what you had to say and to your concern for lack of consultation. There's one area within the report that speaks directly to this point. Paragraph 152 states:The Union of Ontario Indians Inc., in its intervention, raised a number of concerns, alleging that the “shipment of radioactive waste through the Great Lakes is a threat to, and violation of the Treaty and Aboriginal rights...”.

You said that you didn't get an opportunity to have an intervention. Is this document untrue?

[Chief Christopher Plain]

Well, the first thing we've done is.... We've done everything that we've asked. We've petitioned with letters and lobby efforts and we've presented to the CNSC, only to be ignored, and our perspectives were not recognized. I'm not sure if that answers your question.

[Rick Dykstra, Conservative, St. Catharines, ON]

I suppose it does, a little bit.

I'm trying to be clear. You did state that you weren't consulted. You're saying that you were ignored. They are acknowledging that they heard your concerns. While I don't think they responded to those concerns in a way that you would have been satisfied with, they did in fact listen to what you had to say and researched what.... Unless what you're saying is that this document is incorrect, they did respond in a way that obviously doesn't support your position, but they did listen to what you had to say.

[Chief Christopher Plain]

Okay. I agree.

May I turn it over to my assistant to provide the answer to the question?

[The Chair, Conservative, Leon Benoit]

Go ahead, Mr. Kechego.

[Jody Kechego, Senior Policy Analyst, Union of Ontario Indians]

I was on the line that presented on September 28 to the CNSC. That was the only consultation the Anishinabek nation received: the opportunity to present to the CNSC. We were given two dates--September 28 and September 29--about two or three weeks prior to the presentation. From our perspective, that is not consultation. That is not accommodation.

Consultation, in our view, would be an ongoing dialogue, something to vet out this process. There was no vetting out of this process. We just gave a presentation as we were asked to do, under the process that was asked of us, a process that was unilaterally decided without Anishinabek nation input or anything like that, even though this is within our territories.

[Rick Dykstra, Conservative, St. Catharines, ON]

I appreciate the clarification.

[Jody Kechego]

So it's not consultation.

[Rick Dykstra, Conservative, St. Catharines, ON]

Right. Your view of the consultation that you did have.... You did have consultation, but in your opinion it wasn't the consultation you deserved.

[Jody Kechego]

It was not consultation, no.

[Rick Dykstra, Conservative, St. Catharines, ON]

Okay.

Chief, do you have members who work at the Bruce Power plant?

[Chief Christopher Plain]

Well, I have 2,100 members. I don't know all of them. I know about 2,050 of them--