Natural Resources committee  No, we did not look at specific monitoring sites and make recommendations specific to them. We were designing the overarching system, and I believe Environment Canada is now looking at a plan to look at specific sites.

Natural Resources committee  Oh yes, we certainly visited. We did not, however, get into the detail. We could not get into the detail of the specific technology that was being used or the specific locations where the monitoring was being done, and we did not undertake to design the details of the monitoring

Natural Resources committee  Even here, because we're so interconnected these days. It's not only an interconnection in the environmental field, where what you do with water in one jurisdiction affects another downstream or upstream. What you do with respect to air, obviously, affects other jurisdictions, so

Natural Resources committee  I think I was chosen because of experience in chairing a wide variety of panels on a wide variety of issues. However, I also spent five years as Under-Secretary General and head of the United Nations Environment Programme. I also had experience working with industry on the ques

Natural Resources committee  I'm not sure I can answer as to the motivations of other nations and other people.

Natural Resources committee  I can say that certainly in the environmental field, increasingly we are under a microscope. Most countries are under a microscope.

Natural Resources committee  First of all, the panel would concur with what the Royal Society, in its report, said about cumulative effects. We raised that ourselves, and I think it is important that that be done. I cannot speak to the motives of Environment Canada, but I can say that the minister's commit

Natural Resources committee  The minister committed to releasing a plan within 90 days, and depending on whether or not you count weekends or just work days, that should be toward the end of March, I believe.

Natural Resources committee  Yes. We had, first of all, absolute cooperation from anyone we asked to speak with or receive information from. In most of the sessions, when I was talking to people, I ended by asking, “So how can I help you?” This rather surprised them, but the point of my message was to know

Natural Resources committee  I think the view of the panel would be that it was not their mandate to determine the future of the oil sands.

Natural Resources committee  We were asked to look at what would make a world-class monitoring system, and to assess whether or not we had one. It was our judgment that we do not.

Natural Resources committee  May I ask a question in return?

Natural Resources committee  On the part of whom is it a public relations exercise?

Natural Resources committee  Certainly those witnesses, those people with whom we interacted for that brief 60 days, were absolutely consistent in saying that we need a better system.

Natural Resources committee  Full Stop.