Environment committee  I'll take that one as well. You raised the point of collaborative policy development. We attempt to do collaborative policy development across the board, but in particular in areas like indigenous knowledge, it's really important that it is indigenous community members who are l

Environment committee  We're currently looking at assessments that are in the current system with particular companies that have approached us to say they would like to do a pilot with us to test some of the ideas laid out in Bill C-69, because they see many benefits in that piece of legislation. These

Environment committee  With respect to project assessments, we have always been very active in our engagement with indigenous groups. On a project-by-project basis, the agency has a long history of having a participant funding program. We announce grant and contribution funding for indigenous communiti

Environment committee  With respect to those two programs, I think they are excellent examples of where indigenous communities have been able to get more active in the conservation and protection of their communities and the environment. Under Bill C-69, there's the opportunity for the minister to esta

Environment committee  With respect to indigenous knowledge and indigenous relationships in impact assessment, as was noted, we are funding, jointly across the portfolio, important work to be done through the Assembly of First Nations with elders to look at how indigenous knowledge is used and treated

Environment committee  I'm not in a position to speak for those countries. I am in a position to speak for the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency and the priority that we place on transparency for environmental assessment processes.

Environment committee  In the case of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, yes, that funding is to ensure a smooth transition to the proposed new process, should it be approved by Parliament. The desire, should that be approved, is that it would come into force rather quickly. We've heard a c

Environment committee  It is very good best practice, yes. In times when we've not done these types of transitions we get considerable feedback for not having been prepared, and that—

Environment committee  I can't speak to Phoenix, but I can speak to previous changes when we weren't prepared for them. We got feedback from industry that it was frustrating to them and it gave them a lack of certainty. We're trying to learn from that and prepare.

Environment committee  The funding that we've received now, and in particular the advance that Alan had indicated earlier, was to ensure that the agency could bring staff on board to be able to develop the policies, the technical guidance and the proposed regulatory consultation papers, in order to ens

Environment committee  Yes, and—

Environment committee  Currently, under CEAA, 2012, an assessment looks at just the environmental effects of a project. Under the proposed impact assessment act, we will be looking at environmental, as well as social, health and economic impacts. As a result of that, the agency needs to increase its st

Environment committee  We are currently developing policy and technical guidance, but yes, it would look at what water quality issues there are, what air issues there are, what noise issues there are and how a particular project's impacts may affect individuals' health. That will be included as part of

Environment committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair, and members of the committee. I'd like to give today some further detail on the initiatives and programs to which the funding that Alan has outlined will be allocated. Under the proposed impact assessment act, Bill C-69, the agency will become the lead org

Environment committee  With all due respect, if I understand the amendment correctly, it's not defining the panel and whether they are to vote or not; it's just saying that those two members wouldn't be voting. But as my colleague has pointed out, it's not a manner or a fashion in which the reports are