It was circulated at the last meeting.
I should add that in subclause (1.1) of the proposed amendment, the word “only” should not be in there. Delete the word “only”. It should read, “taking into consideration the following factors”, rather than “taking into consideration only the following factors”.
The reason this came up is that during the discussions with the witnesses, one of the comments was that some criteria should be provided. I'm aware that in the Investment Canada Act, for example, there are references I think to the net benefit to Canada. There are some guidelines so that people can understand the considerations that will be used in the decisions.
Here there were no criteria. If I understand the kinds of things that came out of the discussion with the witnesses, the issues that would come up on the acquisition of a bridge or tunnel would include the safety and security of the public, the criminal records of the people who want to acquire it or to whom it might be shifted, and the financial resources--and therefore the ability of a company to continue to operate the asset they're taking in a satisfactory way.
The issue really is that of providing some direction so that people will know under what circumstances or what guidance these decisions would be made.
I would appreciate the department's comments.