Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I have to make this point. I wasn't going to, but I'm going to make it anyway. Ms. Murray mentioned the possibilities of challenges other than what had to happen in Montreal. The bottom line is that you have a choice: Either it's going to end up in everyone's basement or it's going to end up in the water, as was the case. They had a choice to make, based on the repairs they had to do and the time the repairs took. It's either going into your basement or it's going out. It's the lesser of the two evils. They're both unfortunate, but you have to pick the lesser of the two evils.
I wasn't going to support this because the regulations are in place already through ECCC and the DFO. The role that Transport Canada would otherwise play would be very minimal, if any. Then I started thinking about it a bit more. One of the things that we've tried to do with this government is take more of a whole-of-government approach versus working in silos, as has been the case in the past.
Mr. Strahl put an amendment forward that states that “regulations made under paragraph 1(b) must prohibit the deposit of raw sewage in waters under the jurisdiction of a port authority.” I want to concentrate on “regulations made under paragraph 1(b)”. The question that comes to mind is this: Besides the regulations that we have in place with both the DFO and the Department of the Environment, what would those be? What regulations more than what are already present should be put in place?
The second point that I want to make—and the point that's relevant to how I'm going to vote on this—is the point that those regulations, if any, that are outstanding to make the legislation better, in discussion between Transport Canada and the DFO and the Department of the Environment, are a positive move forward. We're going on 2024. If those regulations are a bit archaic and/or have to be updated, then I think it is productive that the ministries get together under a whole-of-government approach and deal with some issues that may still exist.
I do appreciate what Mr. Strahl is bringing forward: to find what that is. It's not necessarily through Transport Canada. It could be through the Department of the Environment. It could be through the DFO. I think, at the very least, the discussion should be had. Therefore, we will be supporting this amendment.