Mr. Speaker, one thing is clear: what is happening in the Gulf of Mexico is a catastrophe, and we are all appalled by it. Now, there are a lot of ifs. And it would not be right to say that this will definitely happen here in Canada. We have rules in place.
First, no project will be allowed unless the government and the National Energy Board, Canada's regulator, are certain that workers' health and the environment are protected. That is the first thing. It is the basic premise.
As my colleague knows, the National Energy Board announced on May 12 that it was reviewing all offshore drilling requirements and that it would hold hearings open to the public. The review will be open and transparent.
They are going to look at all the incidents that have taken place in the Gulf of Mexico to get a better understanding of what happened and improve our regulations. It will be an open and transparent process. In the meantime, no licences have been granted for the north or the Beaufort Sea. Nothing is happening at this point in time. To all intents and purposes, nothing will be happening there until 2014. There are not even any boats there to drill. There is absolutely no drilling activity.
That gives us at least five years to get a better understanding of what has happened and learn from it. That is why I said it is reassuring to see that the Obama administration in the United States has decided to move toward an independent agency, like the one we have had for years, and to suspend operations while it finds out more about what is happening and looks at what can be done in future to protect the environment better.