Discussion · Government Orders
Maxime Blanchette-Joncas Bloc Québécois
“Rushing environmental reviews does not make projects better. This bill forces reviews to finish in one year, even if a project needs more time. I want the member to explain to people in Quebec why she supports this.”
“Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague from Trois‑Rivières. She said a lot of things in her speech, but we will try to keep it simple. How does fast-tracking projects make them better projects? She says that there is no environmental risk and that there will be assessments. Imagine that it takes a year and a half to assess a project, but the bill says that is too long and it must be done within a year. I would like my colleague to simply explain to the people of Trois‑Rivières and Quebec how it is that any project that needs more than a year is not a good project. Under the bill, all projects must be approved within a year, at most, based on the minister’s decision, obviously, whether or not he takes into account the assessments that have been done.”
Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague from Trois‑Rivières. She said a lot of things in her speech, but we will try to keep it simple. How does fast-tracking projects make them better projects? She says that there is no environmental risk and that there will be assessments. Imagine that it takes a year and a half to assess a project, but the bill says that is too long and it must be done within a year. I would like my colleague to simply explain to the people of Trois‑Rivières and Quebec how it is that any project that needs more than a year is not a good project. Under the bill, all projects must be approved within a year, at most, based on the minister’s decision, obviously, whether or not he takes into account the assessments that have been done.