Mr. Speaker, the problem of overlap and duplication does not exist only between the federal government and the provinces, but also within the federal public service. I am thinking in particular of the department of fisheries and that of the environment. The problem has always existed. There have always been overlapping laws, and the department of fisheries has always used its discretionary power so it could fulfil its duties.
A bill on threatened species has just been introduced in this House, and this morning in committee we were discussing fish habitat and protection. While we on this side are working to make progress, and I am including the federalists-even though I am not one of them, I can still see that some of their initiatives make sense-the Department of Fisheries and Oceans now comes up with a bill that interferes with the one on threatened species. This makes no sense at all. So when federal departments draft a bill, they should at least consult with one another so as to make their work much more consistent and cost-effective.
Federal overlap alone is a shameless waste. Let us start with this. As far as Quebec is concerned, I think it is doing its job and it is in our best interests to conserve our fish stocks and protect our environment and wildlife. I think the Quebec law on environmental protection, on the protection of threatened species, was one of the most forward-looking we have ever seen. It was even mentioned by some of our Liberal colleagues.
So we can surely come to some sort of agreement, but not with bills like this one, which is another example of the federal government's meddling in areas not under its jurisdiction. Federal departments cannot even speak among themselves to make sure their laws do not overlap those drafted by other departments. That is quite simple.