Mr. Speaker, that is one throne speech promise gone by the wayside. I will give the Liberals a chance to honour another one.
In the same throne speech, the government committed to making the clean up of toxic sites a priority. Last week the Minister of the Environment acknowledged that the Sydney tar ponds is, and I am using his words, “perhaps the single most polluted site in Canada and presents a serious health risk”. However, he refused to indicate whether the clean up was even a priority of the government, saying that it was in the hands of the joint action group.
The chair of JAG has publicly complained about the foot dragging by his government partners. Will the minister commit today to making the clean-up his number one environmental—