Mr. Speaker, on behalf of Conservative Party members of the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, a dissenting report highlighting the concerns of the Conservative Party in both the process and recommendations.
Our number one concern is that while there is significant concern that direct return to the prior definition of “harmful alteration, disruption or destruction of fish habitat” may result in the same problems that precipitated the need for changes in the act in 2012.
The committee heard a number of witnesses and testimony over the very limited time. Despite the opposition party's request for an increased amount of time and consultation, there was insufficient time to do this consultation process properly.
Conservative Party members want to acknowledge the considerable amount of work that both the clerks and members on all sides undertook in this non-partisan report. However, we have some significant concerns.