Mr. Chair, I think the minister has a role to play here, and obviously he is shirking that responsibility.
CEAA 2012 contains a great deal about public participation and the use of an Internet site. The duty to consult and accommodate at the low end of the scale requires government to provide notice and opportunity to comment to first nations. To a reasonable person, “notice” means first nations would actually be contacted and provided with information. Where there is a digital divide in the country, which the government has failed to address, even the broad interpretation of notice does not hold water.
How will the government fulfill its constitutional obligation to provide notice to first nations potentially affected by development?