Mr. Chair, the reason these amendments are necessary is that the practice has been not to confer widely with the public in consultation on regulations.
If you look to modern environmental statutes at the provincial level and at the federal level, the governments in their wisdom have now been specific in saying that when the government is contemplating regulations or guidelines or new standards, there will be public consultation. In this circumstance with the nuclear industry I think it's important to follow suit and specify that when the government is promulgating regulations, they will consult with impacted persons.
If the government wishes to expand the parameters of who might be consulted, that would be excellent, but this is simply showing the government's intent. Why would we treat the nuclear industry differently than we do, for example, in the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, and so forth, where there is very specific provision that the public will be consulted? There seems to be, by omission here, the intent is not that there will be an obligation to consult.