Mr. Speaker, my question was as follows:
For the second time since 1996, the auditor general concludes in a report that the federal government still does not have a complete picture of the various environmental hazards posed by the 5,000 contaminated federal sites.
It is a very important issue. The environmental liabilities related to contaminated sites exceed $2 billion, excluding radioactive waste management costs. The government must take action now.
These pollutants come from government laboratories, military bases, harbours and ports, airports, training facilities and reserve lands. The diversity and number of contaminated federal sites—more than 5,000—show the scope and severity of the problem.
These sites contain PCBs, hydrocarbons, mine tailings, heavy metals, other waste materials and chemicals. The presence of numerous toxic substances reminds us of the urgent need to take action. We must avoid spreading contaminants that could be harmful to our health and our environment, which would mean additional costs.
In his 1996, 1997 and December 1998 reports, the auditor general reiterates that it is an important problem to which the government seems totally oblivious.
In this context, I would like to know what the Minister of the Environment has to say on this issue. When will she be able to convince her cabinet colleagues that this is a priority and that the government must act as soon as possible, provide us with a complete list of environmental hazards, adopt an environmental policy and announce that it is providing the responsible departments with the necessary resources to address the problem of contaminated sites?