Discussion · Government Orders
John Brassard Conservative
“Even a Liberal MP pointed out flaws in this bill, like giving ministers too much power to skip environmental rules and rushing reviews before Indigenous groups can give input. This bill needs changes. I want to know how the minister responds to those concerns from his own party.”
“Madam Speaker, all is not well in the Emerald City. Earlier today, while speaking on the bill, the Liberal member for West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, a member from the minister’s caucus, spoke about Bill C-39’s shortcomings but stopped short of explicitly calling for amendments to the bill. We believe there should be amendments. Among the issues that he flagged are that there is too much discretion for ministers to exempt projects from environmental regulations and that the compressed timelines may prevent indigenous communities and NGOs from giving meaningful input, allowing construction to begin before an environmental assessment is complete. This is coming from a Liberal member of the caucus who has his own concerns about Bill C-39. There are multiple concerns right across the country with respect to this piece of legislation. How would the minister react to the member’s comments?”
Madam Speaker, all is not well in the Emerald City. Earlier today, while speaking on the bill, the Liberal member for West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, a member from the minister’s caucus, spoke about Bill C-39’s shortcomings but stopped short of explicitly calling for amendments to the bill. We believe there should be amendments. Among the issues that he flagged are that there is too much discretion for ministers to exempt projects from environmental regulations and that the compressed timelines may prevent indigenous communities and NGOs from giving meaningful input, allowing construction to begin before an environmental assessment is complete. This is coming from a Liberal member of the caucus who has his own concerns about Bill C-39. There are multiple concerns right across the country with respect to this piece of legislation. How would the minister react to the member’s comments?