Mr. Speaker, the environment commissioner has said that the federal government lacks the data on fish and fish habitat necessary for establishing healthy water flows in fish-bearing waterways. In other words, DFO lacks the aquatic census data to regulate water takings.
How can the minister make regulations on water takings by the shale gas industry without this basic scientific data?
When will the Conservatives establish a floor on water takings by the oil sands industry in the Athabasca River where the flow is dropping because of climate change? If the minister is waiting for the industry to agree to a floor, the industry's past obstructionism means that he will wait a long time.
When will he take action on water quantity issues in the oil sands?