Madam Speaker, although in favour of the updating of the Regulations Act to address the problem of the current regulatory process, the Bloc Quebecois cannot and will not enter this venture blindly.
As it is, Bill C-84 does not give all the safeguards we should expect. First, clause 5 provides that the Governor in Council may exempt regulations from the application of the regulatory process provided that the public interest is respected.
According to the same clause, the public interest includes achieving goals relating to safety, health, the environment and sustainable development and reducing regulatory costs and delays. Why are the objectives of safety, health and the environment mentioned? Is the government trying in a underhanded manner to extend the federal jurisdiction over the environment sector? Is the government once more trying to create unnecessary and expensive overlaps?