Thanks, Mr. Chair. I’ll try to keep this brief as well. I think it’s important to understand that there is no ability to make exemptions in the act as it stands today. The Minister would like to include an exemption making authority in the act. I would prefer if it was restricted to emergency situations alone, but the way that it reads now is that the Minister would have the ability to make exemptions for emergencies, but if it’s not an emergency situation, the Minister would have that ability to make an exemption by providing public notice and providing reasonable opportunity for the public to make representations.

That exemption-making authority is not found in some of our other environmental legislation, most notably the Water Act. Certainly, when committee was studying the bill, we understood that in most other Canadian jurisdictions, the authority to make exemptions is with Cabinet, not the Minister alone. Given that we have a consensus government here and that there are other departments that would have an interest in making or in weighing in perhaps on an exemption. I’ll give one example: Health and Social Services. It’s certainly in my view that a decision to make an exemption in a non-emergency situation does require serious consideration and involvement of all Cabinet. It’s my view that the authority should properly rest with the Cabinet rather than the Minister alone. That’s what this amendment is about. I think those are all the comments that I have for now, Mr. Chair. I appreciate the opportunity to bring this forward. Thank you.