I agree—along with all of the witnesses, I believe—that it is important to make environmental decisions based on the best available science, and that it is most likely helpful in these situations if the minister is in consultation with Environment Canada or, more likely, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, depending on the issue. Certainly, in developing environmental regulations, that would likely be an appropriate thing to include as part of the process.
With respect to interim orders, I'm a bit worried about consultation. I think it is important that decisions be made on the best available science at the moment, and for an interim order to be “interim”, we also have to balance against the need to be able to move quickly. I'm not sure how best to resolve that tension, but certainly science is super-important in these decisions.