Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from South Okanagan—West Kootenay for his question.
I somewhat agree with him that public confidence is not there. Since the current government came into office, the public has been losing confidence in the institution and in the measures being taken to improve our environment.
I would like to read my colleagues an excerpt from a Le Devoir article written by Alexandre Shields that backs up what I was saying.
One thing is for sure: the federal government is promising to restore public trust. It will do this by “[m]aking decisions based on robust science, evidence and Indigenous traditional knowledge, [and] respecting Indigenous rights,” federal environment minister Catherine McKenna said on Thursday.
That article was published on February 9. Now look at what it says next.
The government's decisions will ultimately—ultimately being the key word—be based on the “national interest,” she added.
The government is going to consult scientists and indigenous peoples to give them the illusion that they are part of the process. However, it is the minister who will decide whether the project should proceed or not, depending on her mood and how close the ties between the proponents and the Liberal Party of Canada are. That is unacceptable.
As for confidence, I must say that I have a big problem with the current government's attitude. We need to work together to come up with measures for developing the environment in an intelligent way, balancing sustainable development with economic development, and taking a smart approach.