Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Environmental Protection Act was introduced in the Senate on February 9, 2022. Between the two parliamentary committees, nearly 50 hours were devoted to the study of the bill, 80 witnesses were heard and 105 briefs were submitted for review in committee.
Can the Minister of Environment and Climate Change update the House on Bill S‑5?
Mr. Speaker, I want to start by thanking the member for Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill for her question and all of her work on Bill S‑5 as a member of the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development.
I also want to thank all the members of the Senate and House of Commons environment committees, who contributed immensely to enhancing this bill.
As my colleague said, 300 amendments were presented, 80 witnesses were heard, more than 100 briefs were submitted and the committees put in 50 hours of work.
I invite every member of the House to work together to ensure that the bill receives royal assent in the coming weeks.
Thanks …my question was essentially to ask for an update on the Bill. The minister recounted what had been done on it - emphasizing the number of amendments and that it was in the process of being passed. It has now passed the House of Commons and is back in the Senate for final passage. Please google Bill S-5 to see more regarding the changes that have been made to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act - it was modernized and strengthened to allow for more public participation and transparency and for the first time enshrined in law the right to a healthy environment. Thanks for your interest.
I'm confused about the point of this. You lob him a softball question and he didn't even answer it. Essentially, all he did was repeat what you said in your question.. If there is something more that I'm missing, could you explain to us what it is?