Environment committee  A poacher is quite different. Maybe I could ask my two colleagues to elaborate on that, starting with you, Kevin, on the environmental side.

Environment committee  I can start and maybe Kevin can add to it. They are two very different things. Environmental assessment is a process pre-project to evaluate the consequences. Environmental enforcement is to enforce regulations.

Environment committee  Thank you for your question. First, I don't remember saying that the bill would increase or reduce repeat offences, but I can nevertheless answer your question. Last week, Ms. Wright said that analyses and studies had shown that higher fines are a greater deterrent. As you ment

Environment committee  By making it possible to reduce the minimum fines?

Environment committee  That doesn't change the nature of our work, which is to establish the facts, assess the situation, conduct investigations and inspections and recommend the most appropriate measures for correcting the situation or preventing repeat offences.

Environment committee  As enforcement officers, we are preparing the file. In any case, the fines at issue here come into play where it is impossible to use the ultimate tool in the range of tools at our disposal, which is, as I told you in my presentation, to institute proceedings. A judge will determ

Environment committee  It's possible that officers from other agencies, Fisheries and Oceans in particular, and our own officers may also be designated as fisheries officers, but that's done to a limited degree. Maybe I can ask Gerry or Kevin, on each of their sides, about when those situations happen

Environment committee  That's one way of looking at it, indeed.

Environment committee  I understood that there were two questions. For the first one, I would again ask Sarah to try to explain those opting-out kinds of options.

Environment committee  No, I wouldn't say that's the case. The ways of doing things vary with the specific nature of the agreements, the regulations that are implemented across the country.

Environment committee  Ms. Cosgrove.

Environment committee  From memory, I know that there are indeed federal pulp and paper regulations. Since the early 1990s, we've done a lot of work in that sector. Now the compliance rate in the pulp and paper sector is very high.

Environment committee  I don't think it's 100%, but it's a very high level.

Environment committee  I can ask my colleague Kevin to answer that question.

Environment committee  No. Mr. Buerfeind covers the Atlantic region, Mr. Brunet Ontario. I know the Quebec region well, since I've worked there for about 20 years.