Thank you, Mr. Chair.
This may be the most important of the amendments I have the honour of tabling before you today, and it's on proposed section 48.15 on “Reimbursement by Company”. It currently reads,
If an unintended or uncontrolled release of oil, gas or any other commodity from a pipeline occurs, the Board may order the company that is authorized under this Act to...reimburse
and so on.
As one of the witnesses before this committee, Ian Miron of Ecojustice, pointed out, “as currently drafted, the bill can best be described as 'polluter might pay'”. So, in order to ensure the polluter pays, I have a straightforward amendment. It changes the language from discretionary to mandatory: “the Board shall order” the company responsible to pay for and reimburse any federal, provincial or municipal government institution, any aboriginal governing body, and so on.