Natural Resources committee  No, I have not.

Natural Resources committee  Yes, for sure. A spill-treating agent, basically, is a chemical that one can apply immediately upon the spill of oil, in particular. It dissipates the oil from being together, spreading it out a little further into the ocean, which allows for it to dissolve more quickly. That's

Natural Resources committee  We feel very positive about it because, as I mentioned, it gives us another tool in the tool box to use in the event of a spill. We feel that in certain circumstances it also provides a better environmental benefit than just leaving the spill on its own or cleaning it up with oth

Natural Resources committee  Worldwide or in Canada?

Natural Resources committee  We have, I would say, seven or eight that are active and probably another seven or eight that are not active but are partners with those that are active.

Natural Resources committee  Offshore exploration first began off Newfoundland in 1966 through a seismic operation. The first production didn't come until 1990.

Natural Resources committee  Yes.

Natural Resources committee  I don't have those stats with me, but in Newfoundland it's over 200 wells and close to 100, I believe, in Nova Scotia. It's a smaller number in the north.

Natural Resources committee  Actually anything that gets spilled greater than one litre is reported. It could be a diesel spill from a platform. Everything gets reported. I don't have the numbers, but I believe there have only been two or three spills of any significant quantity, greater than 1,000 litres.

Natural Resources committee  That's true. The risk of a spill is low and that's because of a lot of prevention measures that go into preventing a spill from occurring.

Natural Resources committee  No, there would be challenges in getting some insurance when it comes to absolute liability, for sure. Insurers just wouldn't provide it.

Natural Resources committee  I think it would cause an issue of not being able to do work and a competitive issue of not being able to do work in Canada versus other jurisdictions around the world.

Natural Resources committee  For absolute, the majority of our members have no issue with getting insurance coverage. Many of our members are large multinational companies that probably have greater financial capacity than some of the insurers that insure them. But the ability to get some aspects of insuranc

Natural Resources committee  If the company is not at fault, then what the bill currently lays out is $1 billion of absolute liability. This lines up with most other countries around the world that have similar fields to Canada's offshore. It puts Canada—

Natural Resources committee  I think it would be a challenge to get that type of insurance for our members. We can get insurance if we're at fault, but to get insurers to insure us for not at fault, would, I think, pose a challenge.