Mr. Speaker, in 2008, the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities did an exhaustive study of the Navigable Waters Protection Act. Among the witnesses were seven provinces and two territories who spoke up and said that they agreed with Transport Canada. They stated on May 6, 2008, that “a total rewrite of the act is something that is well worth doing”. They further stated:
At a minimum, we [the provinces and territories] believe, the changes should eliminate the need for a project proponent to first ask Transport Canada if the act applies to a given stream....
Then they went on to define that a bit further.
This is the approach they were asking for. How does the member opposite respond to the provinces and territories who wanted this type of regime for deciding when and where navigation permits should be given for a project?