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House Hansard - 278

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
February 8, 2024 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 278 - Feb/8/24
Mr. Adam van Koeverden (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and to the Minister of Sport and Physical Activity, Lib.)
  • Feb/8/24 6:00:04 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I hope that my hon. friend and colleague's working virtually does not mean that she is not feeling well. I hope she is well. I thank the hon. member for Saanich—Gulf Islands for raising this important fact and for highlighting one of the reasons I chose to get involved in politics. It was because of the disastrous environmental policies of the Stephen Harper government, which put our country's international reputation in peril, along with our most essential natural resource, our natural environment. This government conducted extensive public engagement sessions in the development of the Impact Assessment Act, and I am happy to speak to some of those actions this evening. At the time, the government heard from a range of individuals and organizations, including not only environmental lawyers but also indigenous groups, the public, industry representatives and academics. They all provided invaluable input into the creation of the impact assessment regime. My colleague also reminds me that the rules introduced through the Impact Assessment Act on assessing major projects were needed to address issues that had been identified with the former legislation, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act of 2012. I can say from personal experience in Milton that the former legislation was a disaster. This government heard from Canadians who were calling for the restoration of public trust and confidence in the environmental assessment process, and enacting the Impact Assessment Act was the necessary change to provide predictability, accountability and transparency. The Supreme Court of Canada's opinion on the constitutionality of that act does not discredit the progress this government has made in protecting the environment, nor does it undermine the federal government's ability to exercise leadership on environmental protection. In fact, it confirmed that Parliament can enact impact assessment legislation. The Supreme Court also confirmed that the overall structure of the Impact Assessment Act is sound. The court provided clarity and direction to further refine the Impact Assessment Act process to ensure that it meets Canadians' needs and values, as well as Canada's unique constitutional requirements. The government recognizes that responsible development is critical to the prosperity of our country and that time is of the essence with respect to projects that are currently in the impact assessment system. As the government lays out a plan to make more amendments, it will continue to listen to Canadians and uphold commitments to mitigating climate change; transitioning to a green, sustainable, net-zero economy; and respecting the rights of indigenous peoples. The government is working quickly and diligently on introducing the targeted and meaningful proposed legislative amendments required to provide regulatory certainty for major project proponents, indigenous peoples and investors. We will continue to work collaboratively with provinces and territories, indigenous peoples, industry, environmental groups and the public to determine a path forward for environmental assessments in Canada. We will remain committed to providing clarity for our stakeholders and indigenous partners, upholding indigenous rights, protecting the environment and growing our economy, all at the same time. To this end, I issued a statement on the interim administration of the Impact Assessment Act to provide guidance on ensuring continuity for proposed projects in the impact assessment process. Amending the Impact Assessment Act continues 50 years of federal leadership in impact assessment, and this remains a priority for the Government of Canada and for the Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
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