Mr. Speaker, TransCanada is conducting seismic surveys in the Cacouna area of the St. Lawrence River. The company wants to build an oil terminal in the middle of a beluga breeding ground, a fragile habitat for this threatened species.
The National Energy Board has given the work the green light despite the fact that Fisheries and Oceans Canada has indicated that there is a significant risk of harming the belugas. TransCanada is also moving ahead with drilling. That could be the final blow for this threatened population.
How could the government have allowed the National Energy Board to do as it pleases when, according to Species at Risk Act, it has an obligation to protect the beluga, the symbol of the St. Lawrence?