Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today to speak to Bill C-32.
I would like to begin by congratulating my colleague, the member for Jonquière, on the excellent work she has done in recent weeks on this issue. As the former environment critic, I passed on to her all the material I had.
Having frequently discussed the bill with her, I think the member for Jonquière has done a good job of incorporating the concept of sustainable development favoured by the United Nations commission on the environment and development.
This fundamental concept, developed and put forward by Norway's Prime Minister Brundtland, clearly states that any economic development must now take environmental concerns into consideration. It is important that this be noted.
Whenever it has taken a position on environmental issues, the Bloc Quebecois has always borne in mind this fundamental concept that economic development must respect the environment. The member for Jonquière covered it well during her statements in committee.
Today, I am proud to take part in this debate. Basically, Bill C-32 introduces provisions to implement pollution prevention, new procedures for the investigation and assessment of substances, and new requirements with respect to substances that the Minister of the Environment and the Minister of Health have determined to be toxic.
The list of such substances is extensive and a few examples are in order. Investigators will be given new powers and there will be new regulatory measures to deal with offences.
A few months ago, some sensational statements were made. A number of senior officials of the Department of the Environment wondered very openly—and this was mentioned by the member who spoke before me—whether their department could still monitor offending businesses, so draconian had the cuts been.
Having sat on the standing committee on the environment with some of my colleagues from across the floor, I remember the eloquent representations that were to be reflected in the report tabled by the committee. This is a report that was rather staunchly defended by committee members a few months ago.
The report pointed out the lack of resources available to investigators. Today, it is said, we want to improve the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, commonly known as CEPA. However, it is regrettable that the Minister of Finance is not here today, as we undertake the debate to renew that act. It should be pointed out that investigators are not given the means to do their job properly. This is deplorable, if we basically want to ensure better environmental protection.
The question we must answer on this side of the House as representatives of Quebec is what powers will the renewed CEPA delegate to Quebec and the other provinces in Canada.
Although in theory Bill C-32 recognizes that responsibility for the environment is shared between the federal government and the provinces, in practice it delegates no powers to them. And this runs counter to real environmental harmonization between the various levels of government. Bill C-32 unfortunately aims at strengthening the federal government's preponderance in the field of environmental protection.
This centralization runs counter to the clearly expressed wish of the Quebec National Assembly to participate fully in the environmental assessment of any project on its territory. The bill is also in flagrant contradiction with the spirit of the harmonization process launched between the federal government and the provinces. This is why the Government of Quebec has pulled out of negotiations, and is looking further into this promising process.
The bill thus opens the door to duplication of federal and provincial powers. The federal government is justifying its interference in Quebec's areas of jurisdiction by invoking the recent supreme court decision with respect to Hydro-Québec. This case has always been contested by Quebec. All the courts that ruled on it, including Quebec's highest court, the Court of Appeal, declared the federal government's order invalid. Only the supreme court, with its unitary vision of Canada, overturned the Quebec court rulings.
Bill C-32 also contains a number of new features. For instance, the government wants to replace the existing federal-provincial CEPA committee with a new national advisory committee. This committee would consist of one representative each from Environment Canada and Health Canada, one representative from each province and territory, and up to six aboriginal representatives. This committee will advise the two federal ministers on the drafting of regulations, the management of toxic substances, and other matters of mutual interest.
We cannot understand why the bill clashes with the harmonization the government claims to have as a priority.
Let us not forget that Quebec refused to sign the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment agreement on January 29, 1998. When the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment met at that time, Quebec Environment Minister Paul Bégin refused to subscribe to that agreement, as long as the conditions called for by Quebec are not met by the federal government.
These conditions include recognizing that Quebec has primary jurisdiction in certain areas, under the Constitution.
The federal government has made a firm commitment to amend the federal legislation. This means Bill C-32, the purpose of which is to amend the Canadian Environmental Protection Act.
In addition, Quebec and the federal government have signed a bilateral agreement with respect to environmental assessments. As well, the minister—