Thank you, Chair.
Thank you to my colleagues.
On behalf of all Canadians, we want to help improve Bill C-5. Of course there have been many concerns and very good reason to be worried about a bill that may provide exemptions to the Conflict of Interest Act and screens, especially in this case with so many decisions being made behind closed doors with so much of the criteria and many of the details to be determined through policy and regulation after the fact. It's obviously imperative for this legislation to ensure screens for conflicts of interest to ensure that Canadians can trust this process and the decisions that are being made and have confidence and certainty in our country.
Therefore, this amendment ensures that integrity by requiring that project proponents and public officials involved in decision-making are free from conflicts of interest. It protects the public trust by preventing politically connected or ethically compromised individuals from influencing national interest designations.
We as Conservatives believe very strongly that the application of the Conflict of Interest Act should be embedded into Bill C-5 to screen for politically connected and politically determined decision-making.