Discussion · Government Orders
Alexis Deschênes Bloc Québécois
“This bill lets projects start before their environmental assessments are done. An assessment is useless if work has already begun. I want the member to explain how that protects the environment.”
“Mr. Speaker, I would like to start by welcoming our new colleague on behalf of the Bloc Québécois. I would like to congratulate him on his election, and I hope that we will have fruitful debates in pursuit of the common good. My colleague talked about development, but he also talked about environmental protection. If a project is approved before an environmental assessment has been done, and if the project is already under way, what value can that environmental assessment possibly have when it is carried out? How can anyone seriously believe the environment will be protected if the assessment does not happen until the project is already under way?”
Official Hansard
Mr. Speaker, I would like to start by welcoming our new colleague on behalf of the Bloc Québécois. I would like to congratulate him on his election, and I hope that we will have fruitful debates in pursuit of the common good. My colleague talked about development, but he also talked about environmental protection. If a project is approved before an environmental assessment has been done, and if the project is already under way, what value can that environmental assessment possibly have when it is carried out? How can anyone seriously believe the environment will be protected if the assessment does not happen until the project is already under way?