I will provide part of the answer to your question, and Ms. Flood will give the rest. To begin with, I should say that the issue is not that the agency does not have the resources it needs to carry out assessments, but that it is not the agency's role to do so. Its role is to coordinate the assessments and the participation of other departments or the provincial authorities to have the assessments carried out. So our role is quite clear and specific. Responsibility for the assessment falls to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans if approval is being sought under the Fisheries Act, the NWPA, etc. I must admit that I do not have specific details on the project you are referring to. That said, before Fisheries and Oceans or Transport Canada can issue a permit, an assessment needs to be done. And they are the ones responsible for carrying out the assessments. If there is no approval required under the Fisheries Act and there are impacts on fish habitat, then there is a clear lack of compliance with the legislation.
On March 11th, 2008. See this statement in context.