Environment committee  If the member could clarify capacity in terms of dollars or expertise, the answer would be clearer.

Environment committee  There is no question that the departments will be staffing up in order to meet these aggressive timeframes and that the resources provided, some of them, will be directed to new staff to speed up the risk assessment and risk management processes. I'll turn it over to my colleague from Environment Canada to speak to enforcement.

Environment committee  I'd like to give you a somewhat longer answer, but the short answer to your question is yes.

Environment committee  No, because it all depends on the substances and the possibilities. We will not submit every substance to exactly the same test. Each substance cannot be evaluated the same way. We will look at where the literature leads us to believe the health endpoints are, and we'll follow those appropriately.

Environment committee  Very briefly, to complement that response, under CEPA, Health Canada is required to conduct research on endocrine-disrupting substances, which is a long scientific way of saying those things that have developmental impacts. The department does attempt to do that and does acknowledge and concur with the witness that this is an area in which the science is still evolving.

Environment committee  As I said, I don't have this information with me. I will forward my response to the committee through the clerk. I'd prefer to provide a comprehensive response on all of the actions the department has taken on lead, and where further opportunities might be available. I regret to inform the committee that I'm not in the position to speak to the details about lead and the department's actions today, but we will respond through the clerk.

Environment committee  Not speaking about lead, but to the second point of Ms. Cooper's presentation, that lead is an example where CEPA can play a role, I would like to point out to the committee that this is what we're beginning to do. In the example Ms. Cooper raised, that the actions weren't sufficient or didn't go so far as to deal with deca-PBDEs, CEPA has traditionally dealt with ingredients in the industrial sector, and PBDE is an ingredient now being dealt with as no longer acceptable in finished products.

Environment committee  The government has been fairly clear that we're expecting industry to share with us data that they have in their possession, that reverse onus concept. If they do that, they will be acknowledged for the best practices they use that will inform regulation. The extent to which the plan rewards industry is dependent upon the level with which they cooperate.

Environment committee  If it's not sufficient information to help satisfy the ministers about precaution, as the witnesses have said, then in all likelihood the ministers will move forward on a precautionary basis, given that industry has not been able to demonstrate that they're using the substance in a way that doesn't harm the environment or doesn't harm human health.

Environment committee  Correct.

Environment committee  The departments would acknowledge that historically this is a problem we've heard a great deal of comment on. In recent years, they have moved quite extensively in this area, to the point where stakeholder engagements are now coordinated between the two departments and are often run jointly by the two departments.

Environment committee  I do health.

Environment committee  From Health, where there are questions about health benefits, health consequences, we are regularly called upon to provide our opinion. We have trouble neither in offering to provide it nor in being asked for it. It happens quite frequently.

Environment committee  With respect to the question, and to do it full justice, I would prefer to submit a written response of all the different actions that the department has taken with respect to lead and any of the gaps that currently exist.

Environment committee  Thank you very much for that question. I would start off by accepting her congratulations that it has a lot of good stuff on there, so I would consider it a step forward from where we have been in the past. There are a number of issues there. As we've said, there are a lot of products.