Thanks, Mr. Chair. Yes, I would thank the law clerk for that clarification. I just would like to address some of the arguments that I heard from the Minister. He said that a few other jurisdictions, or no other jurisdictions, at least perhaps in Canada, required financial security become mandatory. I don't think many other places in Canada have a Giant Mine in their backyard that is going to cost taxpayers well over a billion dollars.

This provision that's in the Commissioner's Land Act right now was carefully considered by a previous standing committee, and actually agreed to by a previous Minister based on the result of the experience from Giant Mine. Committee, previous standing committee, and a Minister actually agreed. It came to the floor of the House. It was voted on and approved. Now, this Cabinet wants to roll that back without any evidence that the current provision causes any problems. The current mandatory financial security has been in place for seven years. The Minister and his department could not provide any evidence that this is a problem. No evidence. The Minister says we don't want to send out the wrong message.

I think we want to send out a clear message. If you're going to come here and do things, you have to be able to pick up if you make a mess. That is the kind of message that I think we need to tell people. This is not about stopping business. This is about implementing the "polluter pays" principle. The best way to prevent public liabilities is to put in place mandatory financial security. That is what this is attempting to do. I would like to think that we have actually learned from the past and want to maintain the system that we have in place, based on the past experience from Giant Mine and other contaminated sites that have created public liabilities, and keep that system in place. I don't think that it is appropriate to roll back that protection for taxpayers or the environment, but that is what this Minister would like to do.

I encourage my colleagues to support this, and Mr. Chair, once again, I would ask for a recorded vote. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. O'Reilly. The Member has requested a recorded vote. All those in favour, please rise.

All those opposed, please rise.

All those abstaining, please rise. The results of the recorded vote are: six in favour, 11 opposed, zero abstentions.

---Defeated

---Clauses 8 through 70 inclusive approved

Clauses 71 through 80. Does committee agree? Mr. O'Reilly.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I would like to start with a couple of questions for the Minister. Clause 80 deals with the coming-into-force date of the bill. Can the Minister tell us when that will be? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. Minister.

Subject, of course, to priorities of the next Assembly, we expect it to be 12 to 24 months. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. Mr. O'Reilly.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Sorry, I couldn't quite catch it all. I think the Minister said 24 months. Why would it take one or two years to actually bring this bill into force? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. Minister.

I think my estimate was 12 to 24 months, but perhaps I can get some assistance on that. Thank you.

Thank you. Ms. Bard.

Thank you. Mr. O'Reilly.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. How is that information going to be communicated to the public? We had a significant number of individuals and municipal governments, Indigenous governments, come to committee and talk about some of the issues that committee raised in the report. How is this information about implementation of this bill, and maybe some potential fixes for some of these issues, communicated to the public? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. Minister.

We will be communicating with the public to provide them with this information. I think a commitment was made to committee, also. Thank you.

Thank you. Mr. O'Reilly.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I am not going to flog this one any further, other than to suggest that the department should develop some kind of an implementation plan, share that with Regular MLAs in the next Assembly, and make that available to the public so that they know how the bill itself and the provisions in here are going to roll out over time. Some pretty high expectations have been set, and maybe some expectations have been crashed. Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. More of a comment. Would the Minister care to respond? Minister.

Point taken.