Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Minister, I would have loved to be there with you in person today, but unfortunately, it was not possible. Nevertheless, I'd like to show you that I'm a model student. I've listened to you before and I've listened to your opening remarks keenly.
You have stated more than once in the past that we need to play our cards right in the current context, that we are at a turning point, and that Canada can be an energy superpower. Professor Pineau and Professor Mousseau testified before the committee recently and they said that based on their assessment, Canada will never be an energy superpower. Perhaps we can put that aside for now.
My concern is to know the conditions under which you'd be prepared to accept a liquefied natural gas, or LNG, pipeline. I'll tell you why. A closer look at Bill C‑15 and page 300 in particular—it's a very thick bill—shows that the government is giving the minister the authority to exempt any company from the application of any federal law, except the Criminal Code, for a period of three years.
This is cause for immediate concern for us, because as you know, the LNG project—