Mr. Speaker, last Friday I was very pleased to table a bill containing many amendments to the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act, including ones that deal particularly with the issue the hon. member has mentioned.
This is the first time that the bankruptcy act has had provisions that have been intended to enable trustees in bankruptcy to take possession of assets that pose environmental risks.
We have given claims which stem from environmental damage priority over those of other creditors, both secured and unsecured, so that dealing with contaminated properties and properties that are adjacent to the property where the damage occurred and linked to the activity that caused the environmental damage will be able to be used as a priority claim in order to effect the clean-up. This will not only relieve some of the responsibility from local governments, but it will also ensure that trustees are willing to move in and take on some of these very difficult files.