Mr. Speaker, I will address the member's second point first with regard to the comparison of pipelines with safe injection sites.
The point that I was trying to make in committee was simple, although maybe difficult to express. I firmly believe that when applying for a pipeline or a drug injection site, the burden of proof should rest with the applicant and not the taxpayer. I know that New Democrats believe that those applying for a pipeline must prove that it is in the public interest, that it is safe, and that strict operating conditions would be applied. I expect the same of those who want to open drug injection sites in communities. That was my point with regard to pipelines.
With regard to community consultation and how long it took to get these facilities in Montreal, it may take time, but we also know that there is a lot of Nimbyism in our communities, and I do not blame them. These facilities are magnets for the types of people and activities that we work hard to shield our children from. That said, these facilities will have to go somewhere else, on somebody else's street.
The key thing, hon. member, is that communities be properly consulted and this legislation would not allow that. This is what the experts are telling us, hon. member, and why the Liberal government is so determined to move ahead without hearing from key stakeholders.