Evidence of meeting #141 for Transport, Infrastructure and Communities in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was community.
A recording is available from Parliament.
NDP
Taylor Bachrach NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
Okay. That's fine. I'll leave it at that.
Thank you for that response. I'm really sorry to hear about those instances in the community. I know it's something our committees have heard before, but it must be absolutely devastating.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Peter Schiefke
Thank you very much, Mr. Bachrach.
We'll go to Mr. Lawrence.
The floor is yours, sir. You have five minutes.
Conservative
Philip Lawrence Conservative Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON
Thank you very much.
I would like to thank all of you for your testimony. Know that you have all our thoughts and prayers. More importantly, I'm hopeful we can have action so we don't have needless deaths from cancer or otherwise among the peoples of your first nations.
I want to start with Ms. Olsgard.
I understand that, as Chief Adam said, blame is not what we're trying to accomplish, but we do need to effect change. I want to establish a chronology so that we can effect change.
Ms. Olsgard, I believe you said that as part of the environmental assessment, there is an obligation—if I'm saying it too strongly, please correct me—of notification and that should have occurred in or before 2017.
Senior Toxicologist, As an Individual
I don't know if I called it an “obligation”, but it's step 3 in the federal contaminated sites action plan guidance that you notify and engage stakeholders about known or documented contamination at a federally contaminated site. I would probably call it guidance.
I reviewed only the 2017 studies. We didn't have access to the previous ones or funds for that. In those studies, it appears to me that it was designated a contaminated site in 2014, so whoever the government of the day was in 2014 would have had the responsibility to notify the stakeholders.
I'll leave it there. I'll see if I get a question about health effects.
Conservative
Philip Lawrence Conservative Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON
Thank you, Ms. Olsgard.
For the chiefs and the president, were you, your first nations or Métis peoples notified at any time in or before 2017 of the potential contamination of the big dock?
President, Board of Directors, Fort Chipewyan Métis Nation
Once again, no, we weren't notified. We know of the bulk fuel spill, the sunken tugboat, the Imperial Oil spill, the gas and oil from other boats and the uranium transfer. That stuff all happened at the big dock. Transport Canada is pretty aware of it.
We don't want any more testing. We all know the truth. Let's act on it. Let's collaborate on scheduling.
That's all I can say right now.
Conservative
Philip Lawrence Conservative Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON
Thank you very much, President Cardinal. I appreciate that.
I brought a motion on October 3 asking for the production of documents and requesting documentation with respect to the contamination of the big dock from Transport Canada. That motion has now been outstanding for over a month, and we have not received those documents from Transport Canada.
I would like UC to bring a second motion with the simple amendment of adding a deadline of December 14. I'll tell you why. It's because if they don't get those documents, they can expect to get their asses hauled up here in front of Parliament to explain why the hell they haven't produced them.
Do I have UC for that?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Peter Schiefke
I'm going to go around the table to see if we have UC.
Mr. Lawrence is asking for UC to produce the documents that he requested by December 14.
Liberal
Vance Badawey Liberal Niagara Centre, ON
I have two things.
If I recall, the motion said it was going back to 2017. Is that correct?
Liberal
Vance Badawey Liberal Niagara Centre, ON
Okay. I would like it to go back even further than that.
Second, because of translation, I'm not sure the department can get the documents until later on.
Conservative
Laila Goodridge Conservative Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB
It's been two months and this is the answer we get.
Liberal
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Peter Schiefke
Hold on, everyone. Let's make sure you have the floor and that you're recognized by the chair if we're in debate.
There's a motion put forward by the vice-chair, Mr. Lawrence, to have UC. We're having a discussion. Mr. Badawey is asking now for it to be amended to go even further back than 2017.
Conservative
Philip Lawrence Conservative Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON
We're happy to have those discussions. I would just like to get UC, because we've already had this—
December 3rd, 2024 / 5:35 p.m.
Liberal
Vance Badawey Liberal Niagara Centre, ON
When we have those discussions, you can put the UC motion forward.
Conservative
Philip Lawrence Conservative Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON
We've already had the request. Transport Canada has had it since October 3. It's now been two months. No, I don't want to restart the clock, Vance.
I'm happy to meet with you in good faith. You know, Vance, that we've had good discussions before.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Peter Schiefke
Colleagues, it doesn't look like we have UC at the moment. We can continue the discussion another time.
Right now, I suggest we focus—
Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation
May I make a recommendation? It's the same recommendation that Transport Canada gave to us. Your colleague mentioned they want this report done within two months. If it's not concluded in two months, maybe it's time to incarcerate some people for the wrongdoing.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Peter Schiefke
Thank you very much, Chief Adam.
I'll turn the floor back over to you, Mr. Lawrence.You have one minute and 30 seconds left.
Conservative
Philip Lawrence Conservative Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON
Thank you very much, Chair.
That's disappointing, as I'm sure those documents would be quite revealing.
I know my colleague already talked about this, but just to be clear, contamination has been established since at least 2014 and probably before then, and you've not received any sort of notification to the general community with signage or otherwise. If not for your excellent work, we would still have children running in the water to swim. We would still have individuals trying to catch fish, if not for your work, because Transport Canada still has not gotten to work.
Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation
There's been nothing at all, to this point, in my view. It's a shame in this day and age with the technology that's out there. With a push of a button that says “enter” and “send”, we would receive it within 30 seconds.
I correspond with my team on everything I get through email. Nothing goes unturned. If this had been sent to my email address back in 2016, I assure you that this whole dock remediation would have been done a long time ago, but unfortunately it was not.