Thank you, Mr. Chair.
This amendment speaks to proposed subsection 26(1) that requires the minister to review the liability limits that will be passed in Bill C-22 at least once every five years. Then there are subsections as to what the minister should have under his or her consideration when reviewing at least once every five years whether the liability limits are keeping up with reality and keeping up with both the industry and the Canadian economy.
My amendment speaks to a very long-held experience of anyone who has observed the nuclear industry in this country, that it's certainly not transparent, not accountable, and there are very, very few opportunities—and I'm not speaking of any one administration or any one party—but historically for a very long time the nuclear industry operates in a fashion that is immune from most normal processes of public consultation and engagement.
In fact, in the preparation of this bill, witnesses who spoke before the committee said Natural Resources Canada had done very little in terms of outreach to civil society and to critics of the nuclear industry.
In this case what I'm proposing is that when the minister conducts the five-year review-—and I hope this is non-controversial and that there might be a chance of this amendment passing—the minister would undertake that review publicly and in consultation with non-industry stakeholders.
This is a critical piece to bringing the nuclear industry...to drag it kicking and screaming to some place of public accountability in this country. It's not for five years that the review would take place.
I urge all members in all parties to pass this amendment. It can do no damage whatsoever to the bill, but it does give a future minister the responsibility to make sure this review on the liability limits takes place in public with non-industry stakeholders having a right to be considered and consulted.
Thank you.