Mr. Speaker, first I want to remind the member opposite that, when the Bloc leader was Minister of the Environment, it was his responsibility to take action regarding the Irving Whale , but he did not do anything.
Personally, I asked specific questions in this House, but the government at the time, with the Bloc leader as its environment minister, did not do anything about the Irving Whale . The current environment minister was the first to have the courage to make decisions regarding the Irving Whale and take action to have it refloated.
We know, and so does the hon. member, that the operation must be conducted with great caution because it involves risks and danger.
I also have an answer regarding the auditor general's responsibilities. It may be that the Bloc would like a government structure whereby the only way to make things move would be for people to rely on the courts to enforce actions. We prefer a system where the departments, which are accountable to this House, to the Prime Minister and to the people of Canada, have a duty to do what they can and what they should to ensure that their initiatives comply with the principles of sustainable development and environmental protection.
If the Bloc thinks that the commissioner of the environment will have no power, then it does not believe in the power of the public. The commissioner will be required to inform this House and the public, and he will be accountable to members of Parliament, to the government, to the departments and to the ministers. This is the strength of a democracy that works.