Madam Chair, I thank my colleague from Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge—Mission for shining some very clear light on the constructive improvements to the Fisheries Act.
The responsible resource development act seeks to modernize and strengthen environmental protection for natural resource developments in Canada. Our government made the first round of reforms to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act in budget 2010, when we started the process of providing predictable timelines for project assessments. We are continuing this process in a government-wide approach now, including assessments conducted by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, the National Energy Board and the Department of Fisheries.
At the end of these assessments, proponents will be unable to proceed unless they comply with conditions set out clearly in the assessment. As I told the House a few moments ago, failure to comply with mitigation measures can result in significant monetary penalties from $100,000 to $400,000. These penalties help give teeth to our already effective environmental protection regime.